Hey Panda Family,
Here's to another great week! Thank you for supporting our Boosterthon Fundraiser, and I can't wait to see our classes fill up their Pledge-o-Meters 😊 Especially 4th grade - I really want to see the Teacher Tik-Tok video! One of the character traits this year in Boosterthon is Grit. Grit is such a key element in having a Growth Mindset. I am proud of the Grit each of you continue to show every day as you set a wonderful example for our students. Here are the updates from this week:
Staff Meeting: We will have our February Staff Meeting this Tuesday @ 3:30 via Zoom. Please use the link on the PGE Canvas Page to access the meeting. The agenda items are as follows: Good News/Acrostic Poems, PBIS Updates, Tech PD w/ Tim, Extended Learning Plan, Retention.
Gold Dot Chromebooks (from Ms. Epperley): After we make sure everyone has enough Chromebooks for their "Take Home" students, we will be collecting all the extras for redistribution. Each K-2 classroom is receiving at least 5 Gold Dot Chromebooks that will remain at school. Grades 3-5 will receive at least 2 for day loaners. Please make sure you put your name on them with masking tape in case they need to be used for testing in the future. Thank you!
Boosterthon Dance Fit: Here are the times for Boosterthon Dance Fit this upcoming week:
- Dance Fit Dates & Times:
- February 9 (PreK - 1, and 4/5 Cohort A) @ 2:10
- February 11 (2nd - 3rd, and 4/5 Cohort B) @ 2:10
- The Dance Fit program will last roughly 35-40 minutes. We suggest packing up your students beforehand.
Substitutes: Since returning to in-person learning, when you are out of work you will need to enter your absence and request a sub. If you are a TA you have to be out 3 days before getting a sub unless it is Covid related. You can get a sub on the first day of a Covid related absence. Elaine Christopher is our Covid sub so we need to save her for Covid absences. Elaine can do normal sub jobs on Fridays. If you have any questions please touch base with Ms. Willis.
February Drill: We will have our monthly fire drill one day this week in the morning. We only have to have one fire drill this month.
Fire Marshall: Our Spring Fire Marshall Inspection is coming up. We passed in the Fall thanks to our Panda teamwork. See the reminders below:
- Keep doors unblocked (6 blocks/feet)
- Fire exit door should not be propped open
- Keep fire extinguishers unblocked
- No extension cords
- Storage - 2 full blocks clear from the ceiling
Ms. Gardner will come around next week to make sure we are ready.
Schedules: Remote Learning and Specials schedule for Remote Learning Week (February 15-19)
CARES Team Update (from Ms. Ceglowski):
- Please keep sending me names/updates on disengaged students
- I am happy to sit in on any upcoming conferences with those students to try and help parents brainstorm ideas to try at home or daycare to increase engagement.
- Continue to let us know if we can help by delivering materials to those who have no transportation of any kind. It's OK to ask folks if they have a friend or neighbor who can pick them up. If there are no options, we can deliver. :)
Arts Council: CLICK HERE to make a gift by cash, check or payroll deduction to the Arts Council. The Arts Council supports the wonderful arts programs throughout our district.
Timothy's Technology Corner: Here are the headlines in this month's edition of Timothy's Technology Corner:
- Learning Canvas: Rubrics
- Math Fact Practice
- Jamming Jamboards
- Black History Month
- President's Day
- Classroom Management Template
- Circle Time/Morning Meeting Template
- Mental Health Check-Ins (SEL)
- Youtube Trick: Removing Popups in Videos
- Valentine's Day Humor
- Where is Timothy? (February Calendar)
If you have not done so, make sure that you enroll my Canvas course so that you can access any new resources along with those that I have emailed or included in my newsletters over the first few months of school. To enroll, click on the following link: https://wsfcs.instructure.com/enroll/3PACMH.
Do you want me to co-teach a lesson with you? If so, please complete the form linked below so we can begin brainstorming ideas so we can come up with a game plan.
Remote Learning Week February 15 - 19 (from district): The week of February 15th will be synchronous instructional days. All students should be engaged in live instruction with their teachers. It is a regular school day, just remote learning.
Teachers have the option of teaching from their school classroom or teaching from their home classroom but just assigning work is not an option for the week. These are not asynchronous days. Other employees that provide instructional support or social and emotional support should also be included in synchronous support. They also have a choice of where they perform their instructional duties, but no one has the choice to be inactive in the learning process.
We are not closing schools during this week because there are employee groups who must work from campus and cannot perform their duties at home. If they do not work, they cannot be paid, and we are not willing to take compensation away from these employees.
ES Principals - Please ensure that your K-2 students take home devices for the week.
Staff Childcare - At the beginning of the year, teachers were allowed to bring their child/children to school if needed. The same provision is allowed for the week of February 15th.
Morning Announcements: Here are the links to the Morning Announcements for this week.
Monday (2/8) - https://youtu.be/gh81ugODL5E
Tuesday (2/9) - https://youtu.be/1WmuN5fRqjw
Wednesday (2/10) - https://youtu.be/aS9v_y-T8SM
Thursday (2/11) - https://youtu.be/W3UAuLQxdzs
Friday (2/12) - https://youtu.be/kDIECJltbmE
Staff Spotlight: From Ms. Grubbs - Shout out to Ms. Epperley! As she was leaving on Thursday, she ran into a student who had come to take the BOG and wanted to check out a book while he was there. She went back into the library, found the book he wanted, and gave it to him. It really made his day and showed how very much she loves kids, books, and helping kids get books (which we already knew!)!
From Ms. Grubbs - Shout out to everyone who helped with our afterschool BOG testing session for our 28 remote learners: Ms. Edwards, Ms. Laws, Ms. Gant, Ms. McCracken, Ms. Mabe, and Ms. Vaden (who gave the test!) all did an amazing job communicating with the families among other things. Mr. Younts, Ms. Seely, Ms. Flynn, Ms. Owens, Mr. Jose, Ms. True, Ms. Landreth, Ms. Ceglowski, Ms. Pereda, Mr. Elkins, and Ms. Gardner all helped with our team effort! THANK YOU!
Reminders from Previous Weeks
Positive/Exposed Covid-19 Students: Some parents are only contacting the teacher when their child has tested positive and/or been exposed to Covid-19. If you have a parent reach out to you in regards to their child testing positive and/or being exposed, please make sure they also let myself or Ms. Gardner know too. They can call, email, or message us on Dojo and we will follow-up. For every exposure and positive case we have to fill out specific information for the district. Thanks so much for your help with this!
Mid-Year Parent/Teacher Virtual Conferences: All teachers are expected to hold 10-15 minute virtual parent/teacher conferences the week of February 15 - 19. Please review each student's progress on iReady diagnostics, report card praises and concerns, other testing results, and overall growth. Please begin scheduling these conferences.
February 17 (Flex Wednesday): During the Remote Learning week, February 17 (Wednesday) will still operate as a normal Flex Wednesday. This would be a good day to schedule some of your parent/teacher conferences.
Posted Daily Schedule: As we begin in-person Classroom Walkthroughs, please make sure the schedule that is posted outside your classroom door is updated and reflects your in-person schedule.
3rd Quarter Specials: Below is the link for 3rd quarter specials. There is a separate specials schedule for February 15-19. This is a Remote Learning Week. We will use the old Remote Learning schedule. (More details to come)
PAW Forms: Don't forget the protocols for using PAW Forms. If a student gets 3 checks in a week you need to have a phone conversation with the parent regarding the child's behavior. If a student accrues 6 behavior checks in a week then it becomes an office referral. You must have a conversation with the parent via phone before it becomes an office referral. We want to give our parents every opportunity to help us correct the problem.
Valentine's Day: Valentine's Day is just around the corner! In an effort to be as safe as possible this year, we are going to make a few adjustments to this holiday as it pertains to your classroom. Please follow these guidelines for Valentine's Day. Please share with your parents as well.
- Students will not pass out individual Valentine's to each other
- Parents may send in Valentine's Day candies/treats that the teacher can pass out to students, or make goodie bags
- Encourage parents to consider sending in alternatives to candy - stickers, pencils, etc.
- All candies/treats must be individually packaged
- Classes are encouraged to have Valentine's Day Reading/Math centers as a way to celebrate
- You may still have a Valentine's Day party or activities, please just make sure all students have their own individual items
- The Teacher and/or Instructional Assistant will be responsible for handing out all treats/candies
Yearbook Pictures: Please go through your phone and begin sending Ms. True some good pictures of your students for the yearbook. We certainly understand these pictures will look much different this year, but we still want to capture these memories whether they be remote or in-person. You can text her pictures at 336-403-0458.
Lesson Plans: In an effort to not add something else to your plate, we are going to be very flexible with lesson plans for the remainder of this school year. Even as you transition to concurrent teaching (in-person & remote) your Canvas page can serve as your "plans". Ms. Gardner and I will use your Canvas page to locate your standards and "I Can" statements for each week & subject. Remember the key components of Modeled, Guided, Independent, and Assessment as you plan your week. While we may not be checking for formal lesson plans at this time, it is still important that you have your own plans in place to guide your instruction.
School-Wide Packet Pickup: We would like to coordinate a school-wide packet pickup day each week for all grade levels to best help our parents (this way our parents that have kids in multiple grade levels can get all materials in one trip). If you are preparing tangible packets for pickup please have them out and ready by the end of business day on Thursdays. This way parents have Friday and the weekend to pick up any materials needed for the next week. This is effective immediately. Thank you for your help with this!
Working Remotely: We can only approve individuals working remotely if it is COVID related. If you are not able to come in to work you must take sick, personal, or annual leave.
- You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
- You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
- You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
- You shared eating or drinking utensils
- They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
Exposure has to be reported to Human Resources for contact tracing in case you should test positive. As a school, we are only required to communicate if we have a positive test from a staff member or student. At this time, we have not had any positive tests from staff members or from students that have been in-person. Remember the 3 W's - Wear your mask, Wash your hands, and Wait 6 feet. This will help us stay safe and healthy!
PGE Health & Safety Cheat Sheet: It was asked if we would create a document that would highlight the important health and safety protocols for Plan B. We have created a two page "Health & Safety Cheat Sheet" for you to reference during Plan B for each part of the day. A hard copy of this cheat sheet will be placed in each staff member's box. Here is the link to the Google doc if you would like to have access to the electronic version https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H8p_0GlaX-5tZRfxsRD_fjBvQvf1b-Lf6KAwYig84ko/edit?usp=sharing
IF Updates
NCELAREADS now open: DPI is holding a two-week study to help explore reading digital, complex texts. Given the current conditions and increased use of technology, teachers are using more digital text in the classroom. We will explore learning to read digitally, close read, and reading volume. In our current and future instruction, more attention may be needed with helping students to read these digital, complex texts. Click here to join this group. Several Panda teachers are participating, so you are sure to see familiar faces in the group! I can’t wait to see what we learn together!
Computers needed: We will need to gather up some computers from about 9:45-11:45 on March 1, 2, 4, 5 for CogAt testing. We will make every effort to quickly get them back to you after testing so you will have access to them in the morning and in the afternoon. I will be communicating with specific people to let you know when I will need to borrow your computers. Thank you for understanding!
Update Testing Dates: Please make sure you update your calendar for your grade level test dates.
Feb 22-Mar 5: CogAt for all 2nd graders and select 5th graders
Feb 22-April 23 - ACCESS testing
Upcoming Dates:
February 9 - PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 4th & 5th Cohort A Dance Fit Celebration @ 2:10
February 9 - Staff Meeting @ 3:30
February 11 - 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Cohort B Dance Fit Celebration @ 2:10
February 15 - 19 - Remote Learning Week
February 16 - SIT @ 3:30
February 18 - Countdown to Kindergarten (10:00 - 7:00)
February 23 - School Pictures Grades 2nd - 5th
February 23 - SCC & Wellness Committees meet @ 3:30
February 25 - School Pictures Grades 2nd - 5th
March 2 - PBIS & MTAC Committees meet @ 3:30
March 3 - Progress Reports go home
An SEL Book and activity idea from our library:
The Don't Worry Book by Todd Parr. This book is a perfect introduction to the idea of being worried or afraid. It helps children see that everyone worries sometimes and reassures them that there’s always something comforting around the corner. Have students draw a picture of when they worry on one side of a paper and what they can do about it on the other side.
**Congratulations! If you read this far fill out this Google Form. The first 5 people to complete this Google Form will get a Room Service treat from the office tomorrow**
No comments:
Post a Comment