May 3, 2013

It's May?!?!? You want me to do what? Wow...

I know much is asked of you know - and this is in addition to the "much" that
is asked of you all year long. Please do me a favor. If you need to scream, yell,
complain, punch someone...come to my office. That may allow you to save your 
sweet smile, laugh, kind words, hugs and encouragement for the students and in your
classroom and your colleagues on your team who need it. 
So just take a number and stand in line...my door is now open.

Celebration Time! Our May 15 PD will be our last professional development day this year. Just like the previous two years, we will use that time to highlight growth and celebrate a successful school year. In addition to the BLT sharing results from our CSIP/Data day on May 6th, teams should plan a short presentation. Be creative, be simple, be funny, ...choose your venue....but celebrate your team's and your students' success.

MAP and Data - All 3rd-5th grade teachers were emailed your students' MAP reports. Iowa Assessment and MAP reports are in your box to be sent home with students today (Friday). Your BLT member was given some timelines for when benchmarking should be completed and data entered on the Google.doc.

Scheduling for 2013-14 - Related arts team started working on the schedule this week. Our hope is a draft is out to staff for input/edits so we can leave with a tentative* schedule for the fall. This will allow for team planning and classroom schedules to be developed. * We work in Waukee...sections can always be added or subtracted. :-)

Personal Leave Payment Forms for certified staff are located below on the counter below my mailbox. If you have personal day(s) left, fill out the form and place in the manilla envelop standing up to the left of the forms. You must do this by the check-out day.

Ugh - Looking at my week next week, please bear with me. I will be out of the building Monday AM, all day Tuesday, until 2pm on Thursday and in a meeting (at MGE though!) Friday PM. Melissa will be here Mon, Wed, Thurs and Diann here Tues, Wed and Fri so you are in good hands.

Sack lunch - If your team is ordering sack lunches for students, please use the form located on the nutrition website. Wouldn't hurt to bookmark it for future use too:  http://www.waukee.k12.ia.us/nutrition/forms/

Post from the past...

As I reflect upon the last few weeks at MGE, rereading this post from last 
year hit home with me even more. Please take time to read and reflect 
upon your own classroom and your students' finish to school year.
I'm also being serious about my offer above...our kids need your best each day.

It is about this time of the year where we may see students act out who for reasons we cannot always understand. Sometimes it is a kid just being a knuckle-head or a bit of the case of summer-fever. Other times there is a deeper cause. In my previous district, I had a student break down in my office after a rough few days in the classroom and tell me he was worried about summer because there wasn't going to be anyone home during the day nor breakfast or lunch everyday. His thinking might have been that if he acted out enough he'd "have to" stay longer at school. It was an "ah-ha" for me. The acting out as a reaction to the uncertainty of not having a routine and consistency that school provides was something I had a hard time understanding until the student just stated it. 

We do have students at Maple Grove that will be faced with uncertainty - whether it be not having a consistent meal, no adult attention, or having positive peers around him/her. Please take time these last couple weeks to recognize the cause of some of behaviors and seek supports from Nicole, Shanlyn and our office if needed. Reach out yourself. Plan activities that engage students minds. Be kind.I appreciate you being consistent but also patient and compassionate at the same time. Just like Calvin, our kids may need to be smothered with affection. :-)