March 9, 2012

With the sleepiness that comes from conference week, 
you may laugh at things like this today, too.

Wow...another great conference week (almost) over. As I walked around last night, it was fun to listen to parents talk about how much they love having their kids go to Maple Grove! I had several conversations with parents who could not stop saying positive things about their teachers, those on pick-up and drop-off duty, lunchroom, etc., etc...it is fun to listen and just reply, "They all make me look much better than I really am." ...and you all do! Thanks for making it a positive conference week and school year so far!


Please welcome Jessica Norton to our 1st grade team for the upcoming year! We are excited to add her to an already strong primary teaching team! Congratulations, Jess!


Kindergarten Registration Night is Tuesday, March 13, at 6:30 pm. The online registration for incoming kindergarten students opened last week and will remain open until March 27. We hope to have a better idea of incoming enrollment at the end of the month!


Yearbook Order Forms are due today (March 9).

Building Temp - Keith Elmquist let us know that as the temp warms up outside, the temp in the rooms may rise until we get a string of warm days. The cooling towers will be filled later this spring (I'll pretend I know what that means). ;-)


E-Mail - Please refrain, if possible, from sending out emails to parents with PDF or Word.doc attachments. Sending your weekly newsletter with a link to your website with the update on your blog is the best method to use!


Annual AEA Survey - Please complete the AEA survey that comes your way via email. It is important to their reflection and future plans.


All Teachers are encouraged to create your own "preference" list on AESOP. If you do not know how to do this, please talk to a colleague. This will help with securing the subs from your classroom you feel work the best with your students!


Books Are Fun is set up in the staff lounge. Some of you may be familiar with this program in other buildings/districts. Order forms are on the rack and money/checks/order forms can be given to Paula. Orders are due March 14th and items will be delivered the following day. Yellow "tagged" items can be paid for an taken. They will be coming back every 6-8 weeks this year and following.


Welcome to student teachers Mallory Kern (Bode) and Morgan Krause (Umphress). Both join us from Drake and will be with us the next 8 weeks.

The "over-time" edition of our monthly at-bat contest includes the following people:

Mark Joye, custodian

Lorri Lynde, custodian

Toni Rand, custodian,

Tasha Turner, kindergarten

Abby Masters, 2nd grade

Shanlyn Doll, counselor

Thresa Stone, associate

I'll tease you with only one this week...followed by 3 songs each week for the next two weeks!

Our custodian songs are worth 2 points each so study up and good luck!

...hint, first one is not Mark's! Although he believes in the message.

March 2, 2011

Welcome to Liz Goode as she begins her long-term sub position for Sarah Allison!

FIRST... please make sure you "untape" me at the end of the assembly today. I'd like to go home this weekend. ;-)


Progress Reports - The parent portal will be opened Friday afternoon so parents have access to progress reports. I'll 'flip the switch' at 4pm and send an email out to parents. You're welcome to send any conference / progress report reminders out via email if you wish.


Conferences - Enjoy them. Seriously! It is a great time for students to shine and celebrate the wonderful learning we have all done this year. Our students and YOU do wonderful things and the parent feedback is always extremely positive. If you have a conference that you want Lyndsay or I to attend, do not hesitate to let us know so we can get it on the schedule.


Pizza Ranch Night - THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered at the Ranch this past week. It was standing room only attendance! I'll let you know what we earned when PTO lets me know.


Laminator - As mentioned last week, we have two volunteers (a parent and RaeAnn) to do lamination. Please leave your items in the box below the laminator with a note identifying you. These will be completed within a couple days and put back in your box. The laminator was down again on Thursday so we only want our volunteers using the laminator at this point. We really hope this helps!! Provide feedback to me or BLT member.


Orchard Place Therapist - The decision was made this week to wait until at least next fall to house a part-time therapist here at MGE. We will explore the need, other options and pros/cons this spring and decide what needs we have for the fall. All families who have worked with the therapist here at MGE have been notified of the decision by Orchard Place. If a student of yours needs support, please continue to work with Nicole and Shanlyn to find appropriate resources for the child and/or family.


Upcoming important dates can be found on our shared "Dates-to-Note" document. PLEASE add any field trips or other grade or building level events to the calendar if it is not already listed. ONE TO NOTE...Kindergarten Registration is Tuesday, March 13 at 6:30 pm.


Staffing update - 1st grade interviews will take place Monday. No other updates.


At-Bat Song Contest - If your team has not turned in your score card, please do so ASAP!! Because I want to give those behind a chance to catch up - we will do a bonus month! :-) We have several staff members who were not with in the fall or did not turn in a song so March/beginning of April will be our last group. It will start next week and be the final round...I promise. Remember - the winning team gets the grand prize (???) and the losing lowest scoring team gets to sing for us at our May 16 Data Celebration early out!

...with no At-Bat songs this week, a filler is my always popular (LOL)...

Final Thoughts for the Week

...where I keep talking/typing and you 

don't necessarily have to continue listening/reading. 

With spring break thoughts creeping into your dreams (and your instructional thoughts) and conferences next week, it is easy to lose focus and get stressed out...and that is understandable! I appreciate you keeping focus on student learning, reinforcing PBIS expectations and maintaining positive learning environments for all kids as we approach our needed break. Smile. Laugh. Share a compliment with a colleague. With a student. With a parent. No matter what your role is, each of you provide a wonderful service to students, parents and our community...we are almost through the 'dark days' of January-February-March. Thanks for hanging in there and being that positive energy each of your students needs. 

...and I couldn't finish a post without some reference to an "at-bat" song from someone who can't help but smile when you're around her (or having to listen to her stories from the adjoining office to the staff lounge. ;-)

Enjoy the weekend.

PS22 & Journey...

Don't Stop Believing

February 24, 2012

Problem Solving Core team met with Jordan Lill and Penny Hudson this past week. Hopefully your PSC member shared some of the learning/discussion with your team. We also have set a "funnel" date for AEA referrals for March 25. Any teacher looking to move a student from supplemental to intensive should meet with Doug/Lyndsay PRIOR to spring break to discuss the student and the data. 


Conference reminders should go out next week for any student/parent who did not schedule their own conference. The majority of these students would be IEP/ESL students and their sibling(s). Please work with your SPED/ESL teacher to make sure those reminders go home (email or hard copy). You can print your schedule and post it outside your room prior to conferences.


Celebrate Reading Week - Please refer to the email from Pam regarding the schedule for next week. Reminder that there will be no early out schedule run on Friday and the assembly begins at 2:45pm. We will call down classrooms/grades. 


Procedures/policy for resources obtained from Donor's Choose are in the works and will be presented to BLT prior to being rolled out to all staff. If you have an item posted or are thinking of posting an item please read through current board policy and Donor's Choose policy as those are current guiding policies. Understand that both policies read that items obtained through grants, donations and sites such as DonorsChoose do become property of the school district/classroom. We're working on the details (i.e. item moving with teacher). Stay tuned. :-) 

If you type in "the laminator" in the search box on this site, my hope is it has less hits than "instruction" or "assessment." :-) With that said, the update on the laminator is we will be securing two well trained parent volunteers to begin processing teachers' lamination projects on a regular basis. The schedule will be posted above the laminator and a container will be under the table for you to drop off lamination. You will be able to attach your name and simple directions if needed when you drop it off. We hope this service helps teachers AND helps Paula/Shelley keep the laminator in working order.

February At-Bat Songs!

 Turn in your cards by March 1st!

This month's contestants include:

Miller, Steenhoek, Whipps, Schleisman, Costa
Arp, Goerend, Millsap, Marron, Beyer

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Simply the Best - Tina Turner

Regulators - Warren G

Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus