- Michelle Crannell will be joining the kindergarten team this fall. Michelle will be bringing a wealth of early childhood literacy knowledge and skills with her to Maple Grove. Currently, she is an educational therapist who provides reading interventions for students in the Denver, Colorado, area. She has also spent several years as a 1st grade classroom teacher.
- Ashley Coulter will be the "new" Kristen Richer in our Level II/III program. Currently, Ashley is a Title I teacher in Independence and has a solid foundation in many of our Waukee beliefs and practices. We are not sure whether she sealed the deal after she expressed her passion around Richard Allington's work or the fact that she's an Iowa State University educational colleague of Lydia's. Either way, we are glad she's joining us this coming fall.
Personal Days - A teacher told me six or seven years ago that April showers bring May personal days. A protocol reminder on personal days: (1) you must contact Lyndsay at least 2 days in advance; (2) we can only have 3 personal days on any given day; and (3) the staff member is responsible for tracking personal days usage, not Lyndsay or I (i.e. Lyndsay will say okay to the day but you may not have personal days left). Hope that helps!
May 20th Celebration - Early Out this coming Wednesday is devoted to celebrating our year-end successes. Each team should be working on their 5-7 minute 'presentation.' We will also be sharing building successes and getting a jump start for summer and the 2011-12 school year. We hope to make it a fun afternoon of sharing and celebrating!
Spelling Challenge – Allison Hamling notified me yesterday that our Spelling Challenge raised around $4500 for Maple Grove!! Wow! We will be announcing that to students, but please congratulate them in the meantime and let them know that their support will help us provide every classroom with an installed projector!
Year End Items – Teams should compile AEA orders and have those ready to go before June 6th. I will have more information to BLT members on the requisition process for this soon. The check-out list should be to all teachers by next Wednesday. A sign-up for checking out will not be posted until May 31st.
Scheduling for 2011-12 – A couple items worth sharing with everyone about scheduling for next year. First, we are finalizing a schedule for 2nd through 5th grade that will allow our SPED and ESL teachers (possibly our ELP too!) to push in to the classroom during math, reading and writing for students who can be successful in that setting. “How will this affect me?” you ask. Literacy (including writing) and math will be at set times during the day for 2nd-5th grade teachers. Also, SPED/ESL students may be moving from a homeroom classroom to a co-taught classroom during those blocks of time. That schedule should be ready to go by May 31! Questions – talk to Lindsey, Kristen R or myself.
Secondly: Related Arts Scheduling – Meggan Bebout and I set our related arts scheduling day for Thursday, May 26. The team will meet from 8:00-8:35 AM and from 1:45-4:00 PM in room 408. We will run an early out schedule. This team will be working around the lunch and collaborative teaching schedule already in place. Our hope is everyone walks out June 3rd with a 2011-12 schedule that everyone agrees on AND it's what is best for kids!! But hey…I’m a dreamer.
Final Thoughts for the Week
...where I keep talking/typing and you
don't necessarily have to continue listening/reading.
I am excited for our building's Identity Day (info here) on June 2nd! Instead of trying to inspire you with my own thoughts or words about what we're trying to do and how it will build upon the great community culture we've created as a building, I'll steer you to a great article (When Ideas Go Viral) I read about Identity Day! I hope it motivates you like it did me!
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