Finishing Up the Year

With only two weeks left in the school year, we are working on winding things down for the year.  

*We are going to have another pick-up day on Wednesday, May 13th from 11-5.  Here is the schedule so that special class, special ed, intervention and instructional assistants can sign up to work.  

Unfortunately, only 10 people will be allowed to attend our drive-in graduation.  This means it will be limited to administration, kindergarten teachers and instructional assistants, and 5th grade teachers.

*All staff needs to continue filling out the Teacher Activity logs for each SLED day through May 15th.  

Homeroom Teachers

1.  Please work collaboratively through Google to come up with class list using this link.  Remember to omit any students who are being retained or students who are accelerating.  Go over the list to make sure you don't miss anyone.  This may not be the final list but it is definitely the skeleton of it.  You, as the current teachers, know the needs of the students and your input is so important.  

2.  I would also like each grade level to collaborate and create a supply list. Please send those to me and we will publicize sometime this summer.

3.  I would also like each grade level to create a schedule for next year and submit to me!  Again - we may have to make some changes to it but it is a great starting point.

*Please have these three items submitted by this Friday, May 8th!

Friday April 24th Update

Hey guys!  I hope things are going well for you as we continue on with this. There are some important things we need to do to begin to wrap this year up.  Please read and attend to these matters.

1.  I would like for all homeroom teachers to do a Google Meet with your homeroom sometime during the week of May 11th - 15th.  This can serve as a wrap-up for the year.  You will probably want to do some recognitions for the year.  I know a lot of you do cute little character awards normally - this would be a great time to do that.  Be creative and make it fun for all.  Not all will attend - but it will be memorable for those that do.  

2. Homeroom teachers - please bag up all student belongings that are in your classroom. Just use Wal-mart plastic bags from home and attach a full sheet of copy paper with the student's name on the bag.  These need to be easy to read so we can find them quickly. Bring those bags to the gym.  I will have a designated spot for each grade level to put their bags in ALPHABETICAL ORDER.  All bags need to be in the gym by Thursday, April 30th.  

3.  On Friday, May 1st we are going to have a pick-up day for parents to come pick up their child's belongings.  We will post details on FB and I'll send out to you for you to put on Remind. Basically parents will pull up to gym gate, we will radio inside the names of the student and runners will bring the bags out to the car.  We are going to do this from 8-4.  I am asking special class, special education, intervention and instructional assistants to sign up to work a time slot to serve as runners on this day.  Here is the sign-up sheet.  

4.  We are going to ask for all SLED work to be turned in by May 5th.  We will put a post on FB but you can share with parents as well.  Homeroom teachers - please have your spreadsheet for SLED Days 5-30 complete and to Andrea and Valerie by Friday, May 8th so they can put those FP, PP and NP in IC.  

5.  Please have rooms cleaned out and ready for summer cleaning by Friday, May 8th.  Please have desks and chairs out in the hall.  

6.  If you find library books in your classroom - please take those to the library.  They are going to put a cart outside the library for those books.  

Please let me know if you have questions.  We are working to make this as smooth as possible!

SLED Day 19 - April 13th, 2020

I hope everyone enjoyed their Spring Break at home.  We are back to our SLED Days.  I think it is really important that we really communicate with students and families this week to get back working on SLED work.  It will be easy for them to slip away from doing it since we have been off for the week.  So please send Remind messages and do FB videos to get students geared back up to doing that SLED work again.  Continue doing all the great work you were doing that was above and beyond.  Make sure that if you share that on FB through a grade-level or classroom group - invite me to that group so I can see all that is going on.  

The district has used Title 1 money to purchase balls, board games, art supplies and other items that students can have at home.  We want to get these to some of our students we are worried about and those who may not have many activities at home.  

This week Valerie, Andrea and I are going to deliver a few items to these students.  We would like to check on these students each week with a home visit from some of us.  Here is the spreadsheet.  Please sign up for a couple of you to visit your students during the next few weeks.  This can be homeroom teachers, instructional assistants, special education teachers, special class teachers, etc.  

-Please go with someone -  don't go alone.  If you are not being with anyone outside of your home, it is okay for a spouse to ride with you.  You do what you feel is safe.  

-Stop by the central office and pick up a couple of items to take.  Don't take too much - we want to stretch out the items so we have reasons to go back each week.  Add on the spreadsheet what you take so that we don't duplicate items.  

-Don't go in the house and don't make physical contact.  It is always good to call before you go and let them know you are bringing them something.  We want to feel safe in doing this.  You can wear your masks and gloves if that makes you feel better.  

-If you have questions or need directions - let us know.

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Also - now is a great time to get busy on your Google Certification- I know you all are excited!

Please continue to check email daily.  Michelle Cash is sending the info weekly about food deliveries.  

Also - plan for us to do a Google Hangouts meeting on Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm.  I will send an invitation with the code to join.   I have some info I want to share with you then about how we are going to proceed through the rest of the year.  

Thanks for all you are doing to make this work!

SLED Day 18 & Spring Break

Well spring break is here!  I know this is not the usual feelings that accompany this time of year but I am thankful regardless.  These past three weeks have went well.  All our students seem to be adjusting.  Food distribution has went well and so many families have been helped with this service. You all have stepped up and adjusted to a new normal.

I know everyone is going to be super excited to expand your professional learning through Google!  That's right - we have a goal for everyone to complete their Google certification.  If you have never completed Level 1  - now is the time.  If you already have Level 1 - move on to Level 2.  Our goal is to have everyone complete this by the end of the school year.  

Here is the link to the site.  Go ahead and pay for the test when you get ready to take it.  Then email the receipt to Michelle or Jill and fill out the expense reimbursement form. 

When you get to the site - there are training exercises as well as practice exercises.  You do not have to complete all those but do what you need to do to feel comfortable taking the exam.  

Please don't worry about this over Spring Break.  I just wanted to let you know that is our goal for the year as people have asked about what they need to be doing at home.  I wanted to go ahead and get it out there for those who want to go ahead and get started.  

SLED Work

As we get SLED work turned in - I am bringing it in and spraying it with disinfectant and letting it sit for a few days.  I will then put it in your mailbox so by the time it gets to you - it should be germ free. 

Hope you enjoy your week.  Please continue to check email throughout the week as I am sure we will be sending info/updates about food distribution work and other things.  Have a great one!

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!