Weekly Update 4/10/11

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, APRIL 10

1.  Welcome back Brian Griffin!  Good luck to Meg Speziale - Friday is her last day here.  Collette Holbert continues to recover from surgery and will be back with us in two weeks.  Kay Hoag continues to recover at home.  Sharon Pitt's husband, Ted, is in the hospital.  We also wish Jeff Nichols the best with his new job.  His last day with us will be Friday, April 15.  Please keep all of these folks in your thoughts and prayers.

2. We are looking for individuals who are interested in having a student teacher next year.  We are working with both WSSU and UNCG and need to place several students.  The students will observe and shadow during the fall semester and then student teach during the spring.  This is a great opportunity for both them and us.  Please let me know if you are interested in hosting a student. 

3. Any groups taking field trips are reminded that you are required to send out a master list of students to the main office and all affected teachers 24-48 hours before the field trip. If any of your regular students are staying behind, you must also note where those students will be located throughout the day. In addition, all field trips must be approved before sending anything home to parents.

4.  We were asked to do a spot-check on Instant Recess this week to see how the students are doing. We walked the hallways to take a quick look today and noticed that only about 80% percent of classrooms did Instant Recess at their scheduled time.  Please remember that this is a requirement that we participate as a school for a total of eight weeks.  The expectation is that your classroom participates.  If your team has changed your viewing time, please let me know.

5. NCAE is holding an education rally on May 3 at 4:00pm in Raleigh. All educators are encouraged to attend, no matter what your position is. I know that there are several of you interested in going. We will forward more information to you as we get it from FCAE. We are posting flyers in the workroom.

6. Caleb's Creek will hold their field days on our campus on May 12 and 13.  No classes may be outside on the field on these dates. 

7. Full-time certified staff are reminded to complete your online letters of intent by Friday, April 15.  Please see me if you are planning on resigning or changing positions. 

8.  If you have any students that you feel should be recommended for the Leap Academy, please see the Guidance Office.  We have some students that would definitely benefit from this program. 

9.  If you are planning on having any celebrations or special events during the 4th quarter, we ask that you use student debt as one of the incentive pieces.  We will work to get you debt information sooner this quarter.

10.  There have been several of you interested in serving on the Study Skills committee.  The committee will meet on Monday, April 11, at 2:15pm. We will discuss the format and possible resources for regular SS classes next year.  Please let me know if you are interested in serving on the committee. 

11.  It is hard to believe that the 4th quarter is here!  Let's all work together to get our students to focus and prepare.  Please continue to enforce hallway behavior and have as normal of a daily routine as possible.  This will increase our productivity and time in our classrooms as we all prepare for testing in May.  We will forward you the testing schedule when Deb Neal and I complete it.  That way, you can plan for your activities at the end of the year.

12.  Budget updates:  Not much has changed when talking about the budget.  WSFCS is still looking at all positions, both certified and classified.  They are looking at a possible 1-2% pay reduction for all employees.  They are now looking at a possible furlough day for employees in June.  This would affect May and June paychecks. It would not affect any employees making less than $32,000.  This is supposed to be voted on at the next School Board meeting.  I will forward any information as I get it. 



CALENDAR UPDATES - The online calendar is up and running. It has been updated today and even includes all field trips on the schedule. Please visit on a regular basis to keep up with upcoming events and meetings. Remember to immediately sign in when you get on the website so that you have access to all Teacher Resources.

Monday, April 11 - Study Skills Committee meeting (2:15)
Wednesday, April 13 - Hoops for Heart event
Wednesday, April 20 - Core Progress Reports
Thursday, April 21 - TIMSS/NAEP testing
Friday, April 22 - NO SCHOOL!


Happy Birthday!
Jane Trace 4/2
Mike Smith 4/3
Kristen Thorne 4/14
Susie Hook 4/17
Anne DiPiazza 4/20
Sandra Denson 4/22