Mr. Elkins' Weekly Wrap: Week of 1/13

Hey Panda Family,

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

These past few weeks have definitely been a challenge with the weather, delays, closures, and sudden preparation for remote learning. Thank you for handling each moment with patience and professionalism. I hope everyone has a great long weekend and wonderful MLK holiday. 🐼

Here are the Weekly Wrap updates for this week:

New Updates

Staff Meeting: Our monthly staff meeting will be next Tuesday, January 21 @ 3:30 in the Media Center. Please see the agenda below:

Good News & Pandagrams
Mission & Values - Nurturing
Core Behavior PD - Chelsey Jones
Mid-Year Parent Conferences
Good of the Order

Mid-Year Parent Conferences: At Tuesday's staff meeting we will be discussing mid-year parent/teacher conferences and how we can help teachers complete these conferences. Unfortunately, with the new schedule this year, and the snow days, we don't have any workdays until the end of the year. Because of this, we are going to work as a school team to give our teachers some time during the school day to hold some of their parent/teacher conferences. Many hands make light work! Support staff, including myself and Ms. Gardner, will help cover classes over the next few weeks so teachers are not having to complete all their conferences before or after school. Teachers, please try and schedule as many of your conferences as you can during your assigned coverage day/time. If anyone has questions regarding the schedule, please see me or Ms. Gardner. I am sharing the schedule ahead of the staff meeting so you have a chance to review before we discuss it on Tuesday. Here is the schedule: Mid-Year Conference Schedule

Parent/Teacher conferences with WS/FCS Interpreters: If you requested an interpreter for your parent/teacher conferences they have been scheduled. Here is the schedule.

DIBELS/Mclass Updates: Please see the MOY Dibels/Mclass updates below.

If you need to invalidate a student's scores, you must email Mrs. Gardner. She has to submit a form for permission to invalidate.
DIBELS One page reference- see here

Mclass & iReady Reports: I would like all parents to have a color hard copy or a color digital copy of their child's Mclass and iReady MOY progress (Reading & Math). You can send it home separately or you can provide it to the parent when you meet with them for their mid-year conference. All teachers should be able to make the color copies on the Toshiba machine in the front office. Thanks!

Indoor Recess: Please plan for indoor recess for next week. The temps are very cold. Remember, no outdoor recess if the "feels like" temperature is 31 degrees and below. We will update you daily on the temperatures, but please have a plan ready to go for indoor recess.

PD Opportunities (from the district): Here is the district Second Semester Professional Learning Catalog for courses offered from January through the end of the school year. There are many great offerings so please take some time to peruse the catalog.

Shout-outs 🎉: From Ms. Ceglowski - A big thank you to Tracy and the whole cafeteria team for being so accommodating in making bag lunches for 5th grade on short notice. We appreciate you all!

Updates from Last Week

Maker Club (from Ms. Epperley): Calling All Makers! Starting in February, we would like to offer a Monday Morning Maker Club for 3rd-5th grade students. Please fill out this form if you are interested in helping! Maker Club Staff Survey

Makeup Weather Dates: I know there will be more info to come, but please make sure you have adjusted your calendar for March 7 and April 21 to be regular school days. These days will be snow makeup days.

Code of Conduct Lesson #7: All K-5 classrooms need to complete the final Code of Conduct lesson. Please incorporate this lesson into your plans.

K-2 lesson - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ChkxuPu9zjLbr8_U93l_S_F-zNuDeRAoAFwtpVLPnVQ/edit?usp=drive_link

3-5 lesson -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dyHLyCX2X1RsojZXp4L86jLeUd5yIzRw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100482846275451887125&rtpof=true&sd=true

Staff Laptops (from district): Technology Services is excited to announce new laptops are here and getting prepared for service. We will begin distribution in January working at multiple sites per week with expectations of district wide completion by April. Please take a moment to read through our official TECH ANNOUNCEMENT – STAFF LAPTOP REFRESH 2024 for detailed information regarding distribution expectations and preparation. The announcement also contains important information pertaining to changes in Windows operating system and software installation processes and approvals.

PGE Substitute List: Here is the updated list - PGE Substitute List.

Committee Minutes: Please review the updated committee minutes.

WS/FCS Interpreter Services: If you need a district interpreter, here is the link to request one. REQUEST FOR INTERPRETATION SERVICES LINK

IEP Minutes Document: Teachers will continue to take minutes during IEP meetings.