THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014
1. Thank you to all PLT teams for your hard work in developing your PLT team goals and strategies. It is very evident that you put a lot of effort into creating your plans. I am excited to see our progress throughout the school year. We will revisit our plans by December in groups to check our progress and share our ideas.
2. 8th grade and Encore teachers: Please turn in your EXPLORE training materials/packets to Ms. Gardner this week. She will have a box outside of the testing closet for you to drop off your materials.
3. The end of the first quarter is just around the corner. Please remember that teachers are required to contact parents of students who either have an F or whose grade has dropped at least two letter grades since the progress report. Please do not wait until the end of the quarter to contact the parent. Remember that calling to inform a parent that their child will get an F on their report card is not considered notification. Grade notification is when you contact a parent that their child is in danger of failing but still has an opportunity to have more grades entered before the grading period is over.
4. The new quarter grading policy has been approved by the School Board last month. The two changes that affect you the most: 1) After the quarter is over, the district will not go back and re-enter median grades for the letter grades (in other words, we do not have to deal with the multiple reviews of your quarter grades anymore), and 2) If any child receives an F for the quarter, all teachers must go back into the system before finalizing the grades and manually enter a 63 as the quarter score for the F (unless the F is already higher than a 63). John Downs will be sending you instructions on completing first quarter grades.
5. First quarter grades and verification sheets will be due to Cindy Wilkes no later than Tuesday, November 4, at 8:00am. Report cards will be distributed on November 12.
6. The United Way drive has begun and will last through the end of October. All staff are highly encouraged to donate. Please follow the instructions on the United Way link on the WSFCS website. Incentives for donating include: Chick-Fil-a coupons and a chance to win a Target gift card or a United Way t-shirt. Our goal as a school is to raise well over $5,000. We can do this!
7. PLT meeting minutes - Core teachers, your weekly meeting minutes are required to be submitted to me by the end of each week. Encore teachers, your monthly PLT meeting minutes are to be submitted to me. The expectation for encore teachers is that you all meet monthly as a large group and then you also meet monthly as a smaller PLT. Please use the meeting minutes format that has been distributed to all teachers. Let me know if you have any questions. Ms. Gardner will be visiting your PLT meetings over the next few weeks.
8. On Friday, October 17, we will show the Student Council videos. Students will watch the candidates' speeches and then vote. Mrs. Frauenhoffer and Mrs. Smith will be sending directions on the voting slips. The 6th and 7th grade videos will be shown at 7:45 and the 8th grade videos will be shown at 9:45. Winners will not be announced until the following Monday afternoon.
9. Our next Early Release Day is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22. During this time, we will start with a guest speaker and then breakout into two separate sessions. Staff will be asked ahead of time to sign up for the sessions to ensure that there is space for each. More information and instructions will be forwarded to staff members this week.
10. Quarter testing dates are October 27 - 28. We will have a modified schedule on these days. Please keep in mind that we will be testing pull-out groups on multiple days, which will affect EC staff members. Please consult the quarter testing email from earlier this week for more details.
11. Thursday, October 30, is the last day of the first quarter. We will have an RS Teacher Workday on Friday, October 31. This day is not protected for any training, meaning that staff may take an annual leave day on this date. Soon we will ask you to indicate your intentions for October 31 on a staff sheet.
12. The PTSA will have their first staff luncheon of the year on October 30. Staff members can pay ahead of time and order lunch provided by the PTSA board members. They will be sending out instructions soon. Thanks to the PTSA for their continued support!
13. We will have a different schedule for the November 6 fundraiser kickoff day. Typically we spread out the assemblies during encore time. This year we will condense the schedule and it will take place during core blocks of time. More information coming soon.
14. The release of the teacher EVAAS data is still delayed. Apparently, there were some errors in data and they are working to resolve the problem. Once they have fixed the issue, they will notify us of the release so that the rest of you can get your EVAAS data!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Oct. 15 - 17 - Volleyball tryouts (2-4pm)
Oct. 16 - FCCLA Krispy Kreme Delivery!
Oct. 16 - 8th Grade Field Trip (8:45 - 12:15)
Oct. 17 - Student Council Videos and Voting!
Oct. 17 - 7th Grade Lightning Bolts/Cyclones Field Trip
Oct. 20 - SIT Mtg. (2:20pm, Media Center)
Oct. 21 - EC Dept. Mtg (2:20pm)
Oct. 22 - Early Release Day!
Oct. 22 - Unity Day! Wear orange to support anti-bullying efforts!
Oct. 24 - Music Fundraiser Celebration
Oct. 25 - Robot Run @ Atkins HS
Oct. 27-28 - Quarter Testing (information coming soon)
Oct. 27 - 29 - Cheerleading Tryouts
Oct. 27 - MTAC Mtg (2:20pm, Media Center)
Oct. 28 - Mix It Up Lunch!
Oct. 28 - Music Cookie Dough Pickup (2-6pm)
Oct. 30 - PTSA Staff Luncheon (details coming soon)
Oct. 31 - Teacher Workday (RS day)
Nov. 3 - Staff Mtg (2:20pm, MP Room)
Nov. 4 - First Qtr Grades DUE by 8:00am
No comments:
Post a Comment