February 4, 2011

DIBELS - If you did not get a student assessed or enter a students score prior to the closing date because of illness or absences, you need to email Rosemary Johnson the information.  This would include future assessments too.


ITBS items will get to teachers the end of next week.  Please review your responsibilities for housing of the items and testing procedures.  Questions - let me know!!  

Sub Plans should include a reminder for subs to send down PM attendance too!

Professional Development missed on Wednesday will not be made up, per se.  I feel there is information that is worth sharing and time we would have spent yesterday would be valuable to you and your teams so I'll be discussing the "what now?" with our Problem Solving Core team on Friday (2/4)!

Our Middle Schools are transitioning to standard based reporting for the 2010-11 school year.  Although this concept is very familiar to elementary teachers, parents and students, it is more of an abstract concept for middle school teachers, parents and students.  Mrs. Urich and Mrs. Lettington have created a Wiki site to help parents understand the advantages of SBR and are "teaching" a course through our community education program to help with the transition.  If you have parents asking questions, please refer them to these two opportunities.

Recess Associate - Ryan Lenerz will be absent the next two weeks.  Aaron Harrison will be his sub.  Please make him feel welcome and help him out with rules/procedures on the playground.    This will happen again in the middle of April.

Clarification is needed regarding coming late and leaving early for appointments.  I may have misspoke to a couple staff members (3:15) so I apologize and will include the language from master contract so we are on the same page moving forward.  Please note that it states you need to notify the building principal prior to the appointment.  It does not state coverage - but you would need to find your own coverage prior to that day too.  Questions - let me know.  (from p.15)  An employee may leave the building during his/her work day after signing appropriate form [MGE staff sign in/out]. Employees at the elementary level may leave at 3:20 or later, or arrive prior to 8:40 a.m., for medical appointment purposes with no deduction in leave. ... Employees should notify the building principal of such prior to scheduled appointments.


Friday PM - I will be gone starting at 2pm on Friday.  If you have an emergency, please contact Millsap or Baugh.  Thanks in advance.


REPEATERS....worth repeating


Valentine's Party - We will run an early out related arts schedule on Thursday, February 10, in order to accommodate for our 2:30p Valentine's parties.  Please ensure your parents are aware of the date/time of the party and any other communication that goes along with the party for your classroom/grade level.

PTO Update - On the Border will be hosting a "Maple Grove Elementary" night on Monday, February 7th.  You should be getting information about it from PTO soon to help promote it with parents.  Our PTO (and us in turn) will receive 10% of sales that evening so join us and promote it with your parents!  Mark your calendards...the PTO will be hosting our Spring Carnival at Maple Grove on Saturday, April 10th from 2-4 pm.

Monday - SPED Mtg (8am) - MGE's On the Border night	Monday, Feb 14 - PBIS Mtg (8am) - District Math Mtg - Love is in the air
Tuesday - K-2 PLC (8am) - District Technology Mtg (AM)	Tuesday, Feb15 - K-2 PLC (8am) - 3rd Grade TI (8am) - ITBS Starts!!
Wednesday - 1st Grade TI (8am) - 3-5 PLC (8am) - District Language Arts Mtg	Wednesday, Feb 16 - Kindergarten TI (8am) - 3-5 PLC (8am)
Thursday - Character Council (8am) - Valentine Party (2:30-3:15)	Thursday, Feb 17 - Character Council (8am)
Friday - Teacher Work Day - Elem Admin Mtg (PM)	Friday, Feb 18 - Meeting free day! ...so far

Final Thoughts for the Week

...where I keep talking/typing and you 

don't necessarily have to continue listening/reading. 

I was really excited to finish the Friday Weather Report this week as throughout most of the day, I felt like it was Monday...and then I suddenly realized that tomorrow is Friday!  :-)  Wow...how refreshing can one day "off" make you feel?  I hope you used that middle of the week (and middle of January-February) to regroup, refresh, refuel, re-whatever-yourself!  Enjoy the day and the weekend!

January 28, 2011

Staff Meeting - Friday morning's staff meeting begins at 8am with a team builder provided by our 2nd grade team and treats from our 5th grade team.  Fran Gorde will be here from 8:05-8:20 to talk about our Employee Assistance program and Dr. Brad Buck will be speaking from 8:20-8:35 to staff about ITBS administration.  Only staff who administer the ITBS assessment will need to stay. 

Thanks A-Latte - I've placed the box and slips in the teacher's lounge.  Please stop in and recognize one of your colleagues by writing down a "kudos" for them.  In addition to having a name drawn, I'd like to begin including the kudos on the FWR.  A nice way to recognize a colleague who is working hard/smart during these winter months!


Conference Sheets - After Friday, Paula will make a copy of all conference sheets and place them in your box.  Teachers need to schedule conferences for parents who did not sign up over the past two weeks.  You may assign and call parents of their time OR you may call parents and offer times.  Bottom line - all parents need a time and the times need to be communicated.  When all conferences are scheduled, please turn in a copy to Paula that indicates it is a final copy.

Assessment Data - Friday is the last day to enter DIBELS!  You winter assessment data should be emailed to Lyndsay, Leslie and I when you complete your assessment data sheet.  Many of you are using the Excel sheet I created at the beginning of the year.  If you or your team is not using this and would like to - please see me.  It makes it easier to compare grade level data for your team.

Speaking of Assessment - If third, fourth and fifth grade teams would like additional support with using MAP assessment data should let me know.  We have not spent much (if any) time on this as a group so I'd (and Leslie would too!) be happy to assist anyway I can in using the data to drive instruction and helping teachers differentiate.

Valentine's Party - We will run an early out related arts schedule on Thursday, February 10, in order to accommodate for our 2:30p Valentine's parties.  Please ensure your parents are aware of the date/time of the party and any other communication that goes along with the party for your classroom/grade level.  What response would I get from a listserv email to parents of "No sweets, please"?  I'll wait to try that next year. :-)

PTO Update - On the Border will be hosting a "Maple Grove Elementary" night on Monday, February 7th.  You should be getting information about it from PTO soon to help promote it with parents.  Our PTO (and us in turn) will receive 10% of sales that evening so join us and promote it with your parents!  Mark your calendards...the PTO will be hosting our Spring Carnival at Maple Grove on Saturday, April 10th from 2-4 pm.

Cover Me winner for this week is Sara Harvey. Your check is in the mail though. Sorry - I don't babysit.  Previous winners better cash in before it warms up!!  :-)

Monday - Rescheduled BLT Mtg (8am)	Monday, Feb 7 - SPED Mtg (8am) - MGE's On the Border night
Tuesday - 5th Grade TI (8am) - 1st-2nd PLC (8am) - PLC+ K-AM; 3rd-PM	Tuesday, Feb 8 - K-2 PLC (8am) - District Technology Mtg (AM)
Wednesday - 2nd Grade TI (8am) - 3-5 PLC (8am) - Early Out PD (Bldg: Prob Solving)	Wednesday, Feb 9 - 1st Grade TI (8am) - 3-5 PLC (8am) - District Language Arts Mtg
Thursday - District Admin Mtg (AM-Barry/Marron)	Thursday, Feb 10 - Character Council (8am) - Valentine Party (2:30-3:15)
Friday - Rescheduled Problem Solving Core (8am) - MAP ends - Barry absent 2-5pm	Friday, Feb 11 - Teacher Work Day - Elem Admin Mtg (PM)

Final Thoughts for the Week

...where I keep talking/typing and you 

don't necessarily have to continue listening/reading. 

Okay...so you're probably wondering why I posted this video and what, if anything, it has to do with school, education, learning or...well, anything!  This video was one of the top 10 shared/viewed videos last week (poor, poor, girl) on the web so I've now seen it on the nightly news, while waiting to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist and forwarded from friend...and I just keep thinking..."How come she doesn't see that big pool of water?? Hello!!! Was something she was texting that important to block out everything else around her!!"   Then I thought...hmm...where has my focus been lately?  I feel like I've been entrenched in my office the past week with the blinders on trying to get 'stuff done' and have neglected the big-picture - kids, classrooms, teachers, parents, home, etc.  I talked to almost everyone this summer before school started and asked the question many time - "How do you balance work (parents, students, colleagues, papers, emails, meetings, etc.) and life outside of work?"  It's important that we find a way!!  If we focus too much on just one thing (texting in the case above), we lose out on the big picture.  February 1st is approaching and it may be a great time for all of us...me included...to check our surroundings and determine if we are in balance.  Otherwise...we may all end up wet....or worse - all over the web.  ;-)

He who balances and laughs, lasts

Doug

January 21, 2011

Staff Meeting is scheduled for January 28th.  The 2nd grade will be doing a team builder and the 5th grade will be providing snacks.  Thank you in advance!  Fran Gorde will be here to talk to our entire staff about employee assistance program and Dr. Brad Buck will be speaking to staff who administer the ITBS assessment at the end of the meeting.


Recess - Inside or outside, teachers need to be ready to pick kids up or be in the room a couple minutes prior to the end of recess.

Attendance - Please put the attendance/lunch count sheets Paula gave you in your sub folders.  We need to ensure our subs have access to the form to use so we stay on top of attendance.

Classroom Rewards - You have been very creative this year with your classroom rewards.  Many were brainstormed during one of our initial PBIS professional development days and I have heard students getting excited about upcoming celebration days.  One class reward I would like discontinued is "electronic's day."  For many reasons, I would encourage teachers to come up with another classroom reward - one person had a great idea for substituting something else in this day - take your entire class to the computer lab to play games on the computers.  I appreciate teachers giving this your attention and if you have specific questions, let me know.

Cover Me certificate this week goes to Heather Morey!  I'm hoping she picks her lunch break for me to cover.

Final Thoughts for the Week

...where I keep talking/typing and you 

don't necessarily have to continue listening/reading. 

I'd say this piece of the FWR is back-by-popular-demand, but I am not sure anyone noticed it had been missing.  :-)  Sometime down the road, our staff will take a look at the parent survey results from the online survey that was offered to the parents of Waukee students this past fall.  This week, I received and had a chance to look through the results and comments myself.  I must admit, I do get frustrated when people are not 100% satisfied with what I am doing and to my surprise (no really) the results did not come back 100% satisfied!  I know that many of you bust your rear end every single day to meet the needs of kids, parents and each other and the results are telling me that what we, and I, do may not be good enough for everyone. We may need to do more.  So....what does that mean for me?  For our Building Leadership Team?  For our office staff?  For our teachers?  Our associates?  Our nutrition team?  Buildings and grounds? ...etc., etc., etc.  

The good news (and there is much to share) is the the survey results tell me that Maple Grove Elementary is "good."  The feedback is we are doing well or very well in many areas and in many specific things individuals do, or our teams and our building does for kids.  My thought is to not be satisfied with being good and begin to ask myself, "How can we do better tomorrow than we did today?"  Jim Collins summarizes better than I can when he says...

Monday - SPED Team Mtg (8am) - MAP begins! - PTO Mtg @ 7pm (no teacher presentation)	Monday, Jan 31 - MOVED BLT Mtg (8am)
Tuesday - PLC+ (1st AM / 4th PM) - K/2 PLC (8am) - 2nd grade music practice - 2nd Gr Music Program (6:30 @ WHS)	Tuesday, Feb 1 - 5th Grade TI (8am) - K-2 PLC (8am) - PLC+ K-AM; 3rd-PM
Wednesday - 3-5 PLC (8am) - Early Out PD (district TBA)	Wednesday, Feb 2 - 2nd Grade TI (8am) - 3-5 PLC (8am) - Early Out PD (Bldg: Prob Solving)
Thursday - District Soc Stds Curriculum Mtg	Thursday, Feb 3 - District Admin Mtg (AM-Barry/Marron)
Friday - LAST DAY to enter DIBELS - Staff Mtg (8am)  **2nd-Team Build / 5th-treats - Conference sign up ends	Friday, Feb 4 - MAP ends