September 28, 2012

Academic and Behavior ITPDPs (SMART Goals) are due Monday morning. These can be emailed as a team or individually. A signed copy is not needed.

Our fundraiser kickoff is next Friday, October 5th at 3pm. We will call grades down beginning at 2:50pm and will last 15-20 minutes. Like last year with the frogs, we will want to build a little excitement prior to the kickoff.  Penguin posters, lanyards and penguin keychains arrived this week. We will have the posters up by Monday of next week and also have the staff start wearing penguins on lanyards starting Monday and throughout the sale. Thank you in advance for helping with this fundraising event. We were able to raise nearly $17,000 last year and used the money to finish installing projectors and purchase 60+ iPads.

Friendly Recess Reminder - Until it gets cold, teachers should go outside to pick up their students from recess. This helps our associates get to their next duty more quickly. It is not the first reminder so please stick to it until the weather requires a coat.

Promote Maple Grove - Help! Help! Help! One great way to engage our parents and community members to be partners in a meaningful way (from Waukee's Theory of Action) is to have information posted in our newsletter and local newspaper(s).  If you have an upcoming event you'd like to highlight or want to share a neat learning activity your students have been involved in, please get those articles (with pictures if possible) to Paula by Tuesday afternoon.  We will include the information in our building newsletter and/or submit it for the "Every School - Every Thursday" article on the Des Moines Register.  If you've posted that type of information on your blog and would like to push it out to more people, just copy and paste the link/information in an email to Paula!!  

Conferences Timeline - Please see the memo on this blog (PT Conference tab) regarding our upcoming conferences. I will be adding information to this tab (i.e. reminders about the content/requirements of the conference, supporting resources, etc.). Our timeline includes...

Sep 28 - Barry meets with ESL/SPED to go over admin/scheduling procedures
Oct. 1  - All data imported and ready for teachers and staff.
Oct. 3  - Staff meeting (MGE) to enter schedules online (8am)
Oct. 15 - This week, link emailed to parents:
* http://www.waukee.k12.ia.us/2012/09/online-conference-scheduling/
Oct. 20 - Last day for ESL/SPED to enter conference times
Oct. 22  - Parent window open until Nov 2
Oct. 29 - Email reminder
Nov 2 - Close window; teachers contact parents who have not scheduled
Nov. 10-16 - Conferences 

Laminator PLC - Congratulations to Strack, Latcham, Miller, Umphress, Foxhoven and  for making it through the stringent interview and application process for being on the Laminator PLC (Perilous Lamination Crew). If anyone else would like to join this elite bunch, please see Paula or I. Screening question to ask yourself prior to applying in person: Have I caused the laminator to be shut down for longer than 30 minutes? ;-)

Dates to Note...
- Mon:  ITPDPs due.
- Wed:  Walk Across Iowa day (see Whipps email for the week)
- Wed:  8:00am Teacher meeting in library
- Wed:  6:30pm Boundary Committee mtg @ DO
- Thur:  7:45am Flu clinic @ MGE
- Fri:  Picture retakes
- Fri:  3:00pm All school assembly for Fundraiser kickoff

An online activity to share with kids or just for fun on your own...
Tired of political campaigns? 
The last one you need to watch before you vote...