THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010
1. Chris Hancock continues to get better. Sandy Derrah sent an email earlier this week on ways that you can help her out. Chris mainly needs company. She is at home now and is lonely. There is a sign-up sheet/calendar in the workroom if you wish to sign up to take her food, etc. Thanks to all of you who have helped out so far.
2. Please continue to keep Sharon Pitt's husband Ted in your thoughts. He is still ill.
3. Laura Lyles is planning on returning back to school on Monday, October 18. She is in good spirits and continues to heal. We are looking forward to having her back!
4. Hospitality dues are due to the guidance office by October 18. Certified staff are $25 and classified staff are $12.50.
5. WSFCS is conducting several clinics for flu shots and hepatitis B shots. If you are interested in getting these shots or if you need your children to get one, please visit the WSFCS website, go to Employees, then to Personnel. There is a link on this menu for Seasonal Flu and Hepatitis B vaccinations. This link will give you dates and times and you may register on this site.
6. The School Improvement Team met on Monday. The consensus on the plan for substitute coverage was a unanimous vote that we use our grade level absorption plan to cover. The absorption plan will be used only in the case of an emergency. An emergency is if a staff member must leave at a moment's notice or cannot come in at the last minute due to illness or family emergency. This also includes instances where we do not have enough substitutes to cover all absences. This will not be a daily occurence. But it will happen if we have lots of staff out sick or if emergencies arise. Thanks for all of your input on this issue.
7. Monday, October 18 - We will have a short staff meeting specifically for the United Way kickoff. This will be the only item on the agenda.
8. Monday, November 1 - We will have a short training for testing proctors. This is for all staff members and Deb Neal is required to do this by the Accountability Dept.
9. You were forwarded the information on the State Board of Education vote to eliminate the gateways. We are slowly finding out information from WSFCS on how this affects us. So far, we know that our 8th grade tutoring will remain intact and that we will still conduct EOG testing in May. We do not know the status of retesting, red zone, or summer academy yet. Students will still have to meet the local standards that WSFCS has set. Students will still have some level of accountability. I will pass along more information as I receive it. A letter will be going home soon regarding these changes.
8. All staff are encouraged to show their support and join the PTSA. Membership is $5.00. The PTSA will be placing a membership form in your mailboxes soon.
9. You were sent an email earlier regarding an Educator Symposium on October 29, our teacher workday. If you would like to attend, please follow the instructions in the email.
10. Please be sure to send work down to the guidance office if a parent requests work for their child due to illness or suspension. We will be sure to give you a 24-hour notice so that you have plenty of time to get work there. It is important that we stick to this guideline so that we do not interrupt your class time to get student work.
11. Please be sure to update your grades in NCWISE regularly. We have many parents who have just signed up and will be looking at grades as the quarter progresses.
12. Lisa Turner has lots of mini-lessons, resources, and video clips related to bullying. These activities are perfect for short periods of time after testing or if you finish a lesson early and have a few minutes available. Several teams have already taken Lisa up on her offer of these resources. We encourage the rest of you to take advantage of this. Bullying prevention is one of our School Improvement goals for the next two years.
Staff Handbook Focus: Field Trip Requirement
There have been many questions regarding field trip requirements, so it is important to review this section of the staff handbook. Highlights from this section:
- Get your field trip approved at least 4 weeks in advance with all required details. You must provide a copy of your parent letter along with your field trip approval form when submitting it to Gentry for approval.
- You must inform the cafeteria of your plans to be out of the building and if you need bagged lunches. This must take place at least 3-5 days in advance. The cafeteria must have the appropriate amount of food available each day for all students.
- You must provide encore teachers with a list of students who will be on the field trip if they are not going to be in those classes. Also, you must notify the main office staff what students are going, who is staying behind, and where the students staying behind will be. This must be completed at least 24 hours in advance.
Upcoming Events
The staff calendar is up to date online. You can access it through the SEMS website under Teacher Resources. Many dates were just added, so please be sure to check it out. This calendar will be updated frequently.
Happy Birthday!
Allison Barnes 9/30
Mara Lea Coston 10/3
Tonia Maxcy 10/14
Andy Suttles 10/14
Nancy Holmes 10/16
Bill Martin 10/26
John Watson 10/24
Teresa Hilbun 10/29
No comments:
Post a Comment