Mr. Elkins' Weekly Wrap: Week of 1/20

Hey Panda Family,

We made it through a week in January without any weather, delays, or closures! Yay! As a data nerd, I love this time of the year. You get all your MOY data and you can really start to see the fruits of your labor pay off with numerical results! However, as important as the data is for us to know how to best support our students' academic needs, no one will remember what a child scored on a Check-In or on Mclass ten years from now. They will, however, remember how we made them feel. How we celebrated their successes, how we comforted them when they were upset, and how we showed grace when they made a mistake. Data will always be important, but please don't forget what really makes that lasting impact. Keep up the great work! Have a wonderful weekend! 🐼

Here are the Weekly Wrap updates for this week:

New Updates

Class Pictures: Class pictures will be on the stage on Tuesday, January 28. Here is the schedule: Class Pictures Schedule

Taking Leave in May: In an effort to make sure we have all hands on deck for end-of-grade testing, I will not be approving anymore leave for May 5 - May 20. Obviously, if you wake up sick and need to be out one of those days we will work around it; but any planned leave will not be approved during May 5 - May 20 going forward so we ensure we have enough staff to administer EOG tests and to proctor. If you have any specific questions regarding this, please come see Mr. Elkins. Thanks!

Retirements: If any staff members are planning on retiring at the end of the school year, please let Mr. Elkins know by February 14. In order for all retirement paperwork to be processed in a timely manner, so you don't miss a paycheck, we must start the process before March.

ACCESS Testing (from Ms. Lloyd): ACCESS testing starts on Monday 1/27/2025 for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. If you have students participating in ACCESS testing, you will have an envelope(s) in your mailbox to send home in the student's Friday folders explaining ACCESS testing. Thank you for your helping in putting those in their folders.

Mrs. Pereda will be testing for the next 5 weeks (1/27/2025 - 2/28/2025). Please do not send your students to Mrs. Pereda. She will come and get them when it is time for them to test.

Here is the schedule for ACCESS testing: ACCESS testing 1/27 - 2/28

Remember this schedule often changes with absences and we will not be able to fill out the rest until the students take the first 2 parts of the test. Kindergarten Assistants will be helping with proctoring during the times listed on the schedule.

Thank you and please let me or Mrs. Pereda know if you have any questions.

PGE Event Calendar: Please see the updates below.

PGE Event Calendar 2024-2025
Calendar has been updated to reflect current changes as of today
Once the School Board decides on 15 minutes or adding days to the end-of-the school year, we will update the calendar
Note - Field Day has been moved to Thursday, April 17. Rain date is still May 2

MTSS Updates: Please see the MTSS updates below.

If you want to discuss adding or changes in plans, please email Barnes and Gardner
Tier 3 meetings with WS/FCS Interpreter - February 27 - schedule coming soon

Updates from Last Week

Mid-Year Parent 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!

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.