SLED Day #15 Update

Just wanted to give a quick update with where we are as of right now.

-Remember this is a four day week for school - so SLED days 15-18 are happening this week. 
-Packets needs to go out by the end of the week so please attend to that.
-We do not have any answers at this point about whether we will return to school. 
-In the next few weeks, we will have a discussion about retaining students who we are worried about going on to the next grade.  Just hold off on those now.  
-We have put a tote on the front porch for students to put their SLED work in.  We will collect what is turned in.  I think the state is going to waive us having to turn in student samples so don't stress about that.

As you work on videos for the days ahead - please add in teaching content.  We have done a terrific job getting on their showing our love and support but if you are like me - you feel like you are saying the same things over and over.  A great idea is to do a short mini-lesson about the topics on the choiceboard for that day.  Screencastify is a Google extension that allows you to show your screen and insert a video of yourself teaching.  Another great app is Flipgrid.  You may want to use something you've found yourself.  Mr. Dodson sent out a video tutorial about some of these tools a couple of weeks ago. Check it out! 

Stay home and stay healthy!  

SLED Day #10 Update

We are one week in to this unprecedented time.  Considering the circumstances, I think last week went unbelievably well.  There was so much posted to FB to give families plenty of options of things to do at home. I know there were tons of parent/student contacts made.  There is more happening than I can even keep track of and that is great!  I know there were Zoom meetings, notes sent home, and lots of other neat things happening.  I so appreciate all of it and your openness to try new things during this time.  

Food distribution is going well.  Many of us will start helping with that process tomorrow.   We have worked over the weekend calling families to try to get as many meals as possible shifted to pickup so that our delivery numbers can stay manageable.  We are working to get a system in place that is doable for several weeks.  Please be patient and accommodating this week as you work meal distribution.  The plan is for right now that on Fridays Michelle Cash will send out an invitation of who can work the next week and she will make a schedule based on that.

Several people have asked about collecting SLED work.  The best I can say is to not worry about it at this point.  We are talking about ways we can do it without have any physical contact with people - like a dropoff box outside.  As soon as we have something in place - I will let you know.  However, communication from KDE seems to say - get what NTI work you can get and not worry about it. So don't be stressing about that now. I think a good plan is to stay on top of the online work that your students are doing.

Packets have been mailed home and most are already getting those.  However, we know that some addresses are wrong in IC and not all will receive.  Remind parents that if they see your Remind messages and/or Facebook - they don't have to have a physical packet.  The only people that needs those are people who do not have access to the choiceboards any other way.  With this in mind, it is important that each teacher and grade level remembers to post those choiceboards each day on FB and through Remind.  If a parent contacts you that needs a choiceboard in physical form - contact me and let me know. 

I am also planning for us to do a virtual staff meeting on Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm for all those that can join us.  We are going to try this through Google Hangouts so download that to your phone before that time.  You can do this from home.  If you have questions about it - let me know. On Wednesday afternoon - you will get an email from me to join the meeting.

Thank you all for being the best!  Have a good day!

SLED Day #8 - March 19, 2020

If this doesn't sum up my feelings right now, nothing does.  I am trying to grit my teeth and keep a smile on my face but this adjusting to our new normal for a while is hard!

I made three videos to post to this blog instead of typing - they wouldn't load.  So now I am just typing it all out - like I should have done in the first place!  Just joking...  

Just like you, I feel like I am being pushed to do things that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable to me.  And I don't like it...but I know it is part of it. 

I am listening to my kids argue in my office and think how can I do this for ____ more weeks!

But as all these thoughts go through my mind - I know that I am still stuck in my selfish ways.  It is so natural for me to not be grateful for what I have right now.  Of course, it is easy to look back to two weeks ago and think about how grateful I should have been then.  But what about now?  Shouldn't I be thankful for all that I have now?  I feel like I have  lot of lessons to learn in this new season.

Here is the update for today:

-No results yet.  We are really hoping for tomorrow morning.

-Thanks for all the videos.  They are WONDERFUL!  Keep them coming. 

-First grade is sending cards to all their students.  That is a great idea for any one else who wants to do that.  Sonya has stamps here you can use.

-I am going to share Karen's system of keeping up with SLED work for this extended time period. Share what you are doing too!  We just don't want to get behind,

-As soon as we get the all clear, I will send a doc out asking for volunteers for next week with food distribution.

Have a good evening with your families!

COVID-19 Update - March 17, 2020

Hello CCES Staff!

I just wanted to check in with you this evening.  First off, we still do not have any information about the tested individual that I emailed you about last night.  As soon as I get that information from health officials - I will pass that on to you.  Here is some information I feel like you should know:

• We are at a very low risk from our exposure even if that test comes back positive.  CCES staff did not have any contact with the tested individual to our knowledge - excluding one person.  That one person is our secondary link who we were only with for a short amount of time.  Our decision to ask CCES staff to stay home was overly cautious.
• If the test comes back with a negative result, we will still ask you to mainly work remotely at home - as Dr. B's email stated today.  However, if some of you want to help with the food deliveries next week, that would be great.  Toward the end of the week, I will check back with you on that.
• If the test comes back with a positive result, we will continue to proceed with caution. That would mean that we would ask CCES staff to not return to work for another week or so - even to help with food deliveries.  

I say all of this to keep you informed and keep you from worrying.  We are going to get through this!

Secondly, thank you all for your work so far.  You all are doing a great job of communicating with your families each day.  Keep doing that!

I would like to encourage you to post videos for your students to see on Facebook.  It can be just a few minutes of you getting on there to say hi or discuss something on the choiceboard for the day.  Due to everything being cancelled and students spending so much time at home - they really are missing school.  I think it would make them feel a lot better to see your face.  I plan on looking half way presentable tomorrow and posting something too!  I know that makes a lot of us uncomfortable (I hate pictures and videos of myself).  However, it is a great chance for us to try something new and be of benefit to our students.  

I loved the pic that I shared at the top.  All of this is definitely a CHANGE, but it gives us the CHANCE to reach out in new ways to our students and families!

I love you guys and can't wait til we are back to normal.  Through this all, I have learned that we take way too much for granted!  

Sunday Night Shout Out - March 15, 2020

What a different Sunday night Shout Out this will be.  Who would have ever dreamed even this time last week that we would be facing what we are facing tonight.  However, we will do what needs to be done and pray for the absolute best to become of this. 

****First of all, if you do not feel comfortable coming in to work at anytime, because of sickness or pre-existing conditions, you do not have to do so.  Coming in to work is not mandatory.

With that being said, we do need people that feel comfortable doing so, to come in this week.  We have some initial work that needs to be done.  As time goes on, we will adjust the schedule as we need to.  We will not ask people to come in if there is not work to be done.

Monday, March 16th

Please sign in with this Google Form. 

When you come to work tomorrow, go straight to your classroom or assigned work area.  We strongly recommend that people do not congregate together in a location.  I understand that grade level teachers may need to get together to work on your Sled choiceboards.  If you do, please keep your distance from one another.  If you bring your children, they need to stay in your classroom.

We know that most of you will probably not want to go out and eat lunch.  You can bring your lunch with you and when we are finished - you can go home for the day.  

HOMEROOM AND SPECIAL ED/SPEECH TEACHERS:

You will be working on your Sled Choiceboards. Our game plan has changed since Thursday afternoon.  We are not doing two different plans like we talked about.  We are doing one choiceboard for each day (11-20) just like we have the other days.  There will not be additional sheets added to the packet.  That means that each activity needs to fit into the box.  Students will still choose three activities to do each day.  At least three of those activities need to be paper and pencil activities.  Here is the link to the template for teachers to work on these. 

1.  Open the link above.
2.  Make a copy of the doc and save it as ____ Grade SLED Choiceboard Day 11. Don't make changes to my template. Make a separate doc for each day. Each grade level should have 10 separate docs - one for each day.  Share that with all your team members, special ed collaborating teacher, Valerie, Andrea, Whitney, Sonya, Michelle Cash and myself. 

I would also suggest that each grade level add other activities that are optional for parents to do with their students.  These may include links to resources, reading together, math facts, etc.   

Our goal is that these choiceboards are done by the end of the day.  

*If you were to finish early, you can always begin cleaning on your rooms.  

SPECIAL CLASS TEACHERS, GRANT/RTI TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS

Your assignment for the day is to call and make contact with families who have not signed up for meals.  We will meet in the library at 8:30 to divide up the names and numbers.  Please spread out in the library and do not sit together.  This is the easiest and fastest way to get the information to you. Before 8:30 - please be cleaning your work area.  

Here are some links and information you will need to make the calls.  But I will explain all of this tomorrow.

Parent Questions Extended Sled

Working Household Sheet

Household Info

*Our goal is to get this completely finished and make contact with all families before we leave tomorrow.


MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE REST OF THE WEEK WILL BE GIVEN OUT TOMORROW.  

Sunday Night Shout Out - March 8, 2020

To say that we never know what we are going to deal with next at school is an understatement.  The news of coronovirus-19 hitting Kentucky over the weekend will be on the minds of parents as they send their children to school this week.  Here are some things we should be doing for extra precaution:

-Handwashing - this is an absolute must.  Please ensure that students are washing their hands multiple times during the day - especially before eating and after bathroom breaks.  Talk to your students about this importance of good handwashing and the correct procedure.  You may also want to double check to make sure they are doing it.
-Discuss with students about the importance of covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
-Disinfect daily your desks, door knobs, computers and i-pads, and any other areas that are touched frequently.  

All of these things are good practice all the time!

We will be having a special guest come speak with us on March 16th from 3:15 until 4:45 about how to help our students who have been subjected to trauma.  This is not a mandatory meeting but for anyone who wants to come. This will also be our last PD opportunity of the year if you need hours.  

FOUR MORE WEEKS 

UNTIL SPRING BREAK!

This Week at a Glance...

Monday	-3rd grade ELA Live Scoring -Meatball Lunch Fundraiser for Matthew Spears -SBDM meeting at 4 pm -Open Library afterschool
Tuesday	Report Cards go home
Wednesday	Live Scoring 4th and 5th grade Math
Thursday	No 21st Century
Friday	No School  😀

Sunday Night Shout Out - March 1, 2020

Congrats to our CCES Academic Team for their performance at Regional Governor's Cup this week. What a great year it has been for them!  Make sure you congratulate these students this week.  We will be recognizing them later in the week at morning assembly.

Here are the STAR scores for our fourth round of testing.  We have hovered around the 75% mark all year and that is great.  Let's encourage students to work hard and set big goals for themselves this last few weeks.  It's a great time of year to remind them why we do what we do and how Lexia, Reading Plus, Study Island, reading AR books, studying vocabulary, and what they are doing in class - all helps them to grow as a reader.  Students think we have them doing all these things just for the heck of it.  Make those connections about how all these things can help them to grow!  

Please add your leader of the month for February to this slide.  We will recognize them on Wednesday morning at assembly.  

Also - some of our January Kona Ice winners didn't get their free cup.   If you have any of these students - please get their cup from my office.  They will need it on Tuesday to get their free Kona Ice.  The January Kona winners were:  Leigh Ann Bow, Jaxson Scott (1st grade), Evan Cash, Nicholas Anderson, Kynslee Perdue, Lilianna Hagan.  

Don't forget to stop by my office on Monday and get ring pops for those students who met their STAR goal!

Please turn in your SLED day paperwork for Day 4 this week.  This includes 3 student samples of strong student work per grade level.  



THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE...

Monday
Tuesday	Panther Store during special class  Kona Ice at regular time
Wednesday	9:07 am - Statewide Tornado Drill  Grade level PLC's 3rd Grade Hot Cocoa sale for 4th/5th
Thursday	3rd Grade Hot Cocoa sale for 2nd/3rd
Friday	3rd Grade Hot Cocoa sale for K/1st