LS Weekly Memo Dec. 17th through Dec. 20th

Welcome to Week 17.  Last week was a really full week; the excitement of design conversations, the opportunities to see our students shine in performances and presentations in Beginning School, 2nd and 5th grades, opportunities to share and reflect on faith traditions during the Advent Service and Hannukkah Chapel, the occasion to share fine food, wine and friendship at the OES Holiday Party.  

I am tremendously appreciative of you for creating such wonderful experiences for our students on Friday, even as you felt the weight of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. Let us know if we can help you, a student, a colleague or a parent.

COMMUNITY

Hanukkah Chapel
Thank you Jenny Cleveland, faculty and student participants fro another meaningful celebration of the diversity of our community.

Williams’ King Midas Production a Huge Success
What an amazing production. Everyone did an outstanding job. The best part was to see how much fun they were having with their roles, clearly loving the limelight.  Bravo, Alysa for your fine work.

Second Grade Learning Celebration- Portland Research Projects
Thank you to the second grade team for supporting their students’ inquiry into Portland. The students were so proud of their hard work, confident in their understanding of their topic, and committed to their learning.

Beginning School Winter Celebrations
Pre-K, K and Primary hosted wonderful fall and winter celebrations Friday afternoon after school. The event was capped off with a lovely Winter Celebration Program led by Kristen Haferbecker, a new Beginning School family ritual.  Thanks teachers and assistants for all of the hard work that went into this warm and joyful family holiday event.  

OES Holiday Party
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend.  The food was superb, the dining hall looked great, conversations flowed and the turnout was huge.

Lower School Holiday Celebration
Come share some more holiday cheer with your colleagues at 3:15 in the LS Library. Remember you SHH gift and potluck offering.  See Lyn’s email for details.

Jeannie Rawley Remembrance
On Monday, January 7 at 3:30, those who wish to are invited gather at the dogwood tree outside the 3rd grade classrooms to share a prayer in remembrance of Jeannie.  We will then head to the Morris House Conference Room for a time to be together and share memories with an option to help maintain the outdoor labyrinth in her honor.


PROGRAM

LS Building Design Sessions
Thanks for your thoughtful participation this week and last. The design conversations with Ashley Cadwell were very productive.  Team Leaders will meet with David to consider next steps.

Lower School Curriculum Task Force and Lower School Leadership Team Meettings
With holidays, report  writing and reading and other complications in January and February, scheduling our First and Third Mondays isn’t working out. Instead, we hope to get  lunch meetings on the calendar in February.  Obviously, not everyone will be able to attend.  Lyn will look ahead and get LSCTF and LSLT team meetings on our February calendar.

Howard Hiton, Counselor, Speaks at PAL About Boys and Girls Social Emotional Development
Books Howard Recommends
The Essential Difference: The Truth About the Male and Female Brains, Baron-Cohen, Simon
Real Boys, Pollack, William
Best Friends, Worst Enemies, Thompson, Michael
Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends
Wiseman, Rosalind

OPERATIONS

Second and Third Grade Mid- Afternoon Recess
Third Grade boys who love to play football and soccer are getting competitive and physical altercations are taking place. These boys are taking a break from these sports until next Wednesday, when they may resume play.  Several boys and girls wrote letters to David requesting that a portion of the field be opened up for their afternoon recess. He will discuss possible solutions with the Team Leaders and then the students.

St Nick’s Chapel
The wild and raucous event will start at 1:30 in the Gym. Plan on having your class seated and ready for the wild ride.

Report Card Timeline
Report Writing Day - 1/18
MLK Day - 1/21Written by end of day 1/22
Proofed on 1/24 and 1/28
Due all proofed on 1/29
Sent out by 2/4

LS Weekly Memo Dec. 10th- Dec. 14th

Welcome to Week 16. We hope you enjoyed our design session with Suzy Cessor last week, and that it stirs your imagination for our sessions with Ashley Cadwell, SLAM and the Building Committee next week.  Remember, our program and design work is now on display in the Morris House Conference Room(MHCR).  You can visit any time Monday for a second look at your work, and a closer look at colleague’s work.

If you can, take time in the coming week to visit a part of the BS or LS that you don’t normally visit.  If your world revolves around the ⅘ wing, take time to pop into a ½ classroom or the BS.  If you haven’t seen the BS studio, please take time to do so.  Visit a specialist’s class.  Specialists, visit a classroom.  Get a feeling for the programs in our school. We think that might help you imagine what our new school could look like.
Our thanks in advance for sharing your time and talents.

COMMUNITY

Meeting Monday, Dec. 10th
Inquiry, PGD, intercultural Competencies and LSLT Meet

Busy Weeks Ahead
This week is full with Design Sessions, Eric Kimmel’s visit, Advent, King Midas, SHH.  It all coming to a spectacular crescendo on Friday when we have a day full of special events - Howard Hiton at LS PAL, 2nd Grade Learning Celebration and the Beginning School Winter Program. Pace yourself so you are ready the enjoy the Board Holiday Party on Saturday night.

LS Leadership Team Agenda, Mon., Dec. 10th
• Service Learning- Appreciative Inquiry, Heifer, Giving Chapel, etc.
•Hand-off to Specialists- How is that going?
•Lunch and recess procedures- How is that going?
-Possible new boat on the playground, courtesy of Darele Lowry.
•Looking ahead- Progress Reports, Admissions
PJ Day - 1/25 or 2/1 and DEAR
•Other Topics?

Student Art Work Damaged
Francesca Fox Gitomer’s self portrait was significantly damaged late Thursday while it was hanging on the wall of the 3rd grade hallway.  Someone scratched portrait with a push pin and then stuck the pin through the self portrait.  Teachers in Grades 2nd -5th, please talk with your students about the importance of respecting every child’s work.  Please ask your students to speak to you privately if they know anything about the incident.

Secret Holiday Happening- SHH
Remember, if you are participating, you should have fun this weekend selecting three small fun surprises for your SHH recipient. Have fun next week placing little gifts in his/her mailbox or some unexpected place.
We’ll gather for our SHH celebration on Monday, Dec. 17th in the Library.  See Lyn’s list of assigned contributions.

All School Board Sponsored Party
We hope many of you will plan on attending. It will be festive and fun, and demonstrate your appreciation for the Board’s support of our new Beginning and Lower School building.

LS Interns
Calling all LS Teachers!  Could you use an extra set of hands in your classroom?  Could you use someone with more energy than your students?  I've got just the solution for you: a Lower School Intern through the Winterim program!  From March 14-21, the Upper School hosts a program called Winterim where 8th graders and Upper School students engage in activities to pursue interests beyond the classroom.  One activity that has traditionally been offered is the LS Interns program where interested students come to intern in your classrooms.  This activity is being offered as both a morning and afternoon activity, so you could have an Upper School student or 8th grader helping you out from 8-11:30 and/or 12:30-3 every day during that week in March.

In the past Tonya Griffin, Doug Whitmore, Jackie Blake, and others have hosted interns in their classrooms, so check in with them about the experience. Please let me know if you would be willing to host interns during that week.  It's a great opportunity for our older students to connect with younger students and vice versa, not to mention a great chance for you to get some extra help in the classroom.

Email me at sulzera@oes.edu if you're interested or have any additional questions - Ann Sulzer

New Adventures in 2013-2014?
I am anticipating the busy pace of school life after Winter Break, a period of time that includes the hiring season. If you are contemplating professional changes for next year, please schedule a time to meet with me to discuss your plans.

Service Learning
While it is the season of giving, and a time when many of us are recommitting to our service interests, I do want to remind you that our list serve or OES emails should not be used for solicitation for a particular passion/project — regardless of how worthy that project is.  If you are interested in bringing your service interest to the school, talk with Jenny Cleveland, LS Service Learning Coordinator.

Author Eric Kimmel Visits Tues., Dec. 11th
Primary through Second Grade Storytelling- 9:15-9:45
Third and Fourth Grade Presentation- 10-10:45
Book Signing- 10:45-11
Lunch with Faculty (BYOT Bring your own tray) 11-11:50
Fifth Grade Writer’s Workshop- 12-2:55
Thank you Lara and FOESL fro making these author visits possible.


PROGRAM

LSCTF
We discussed a range of topics:  
•Use of the Reading Continuum at Conferences
•How and when to roll out the use of the Writing Continuum, what professional development do we think we need?
We are leaning toward 1st through 5th Grade FLG groups reading about Lucy Calkin’s writing workshop, explore Reggie Routman’s Writer’s Workshop Kit (Tonya won at a conference last year), possibly read some of Katie Wood Ray’s books for one year, then have Lucy Calkin’s Rep come for a 5 day training site visit, the summer of 2014
•A few teams are considering some changes in their report card. We need to meet asap with Angela to make this happen before Winter Break.

Thursday Morning, 12/13 Faculty Meeting
Prek - 12 Departments will meet.
Teams will meet at Team Leader’s discretion. Look for an email from your Team Leader early next week.

LS Building Design Meetings - 12/11 and 12/12
Teams meet with Ashley Cadwell, Cadwell Collaborative and SLAM Representatives, Rich Connell and Paul Baldinger  in MHCR
7:30-9 Specialists
9:30-11 Third through Fifth Grade
12-1:30 First and Second Grade
2-3:30 Beginning School
3:45 - 5:00 on 12/12 -  All LS Faculty and  Specialists meet with Building Committee to present faculty design themes and ideas. Platt Global Classroom

See David’s email for additional details.
Our thanks to all who are covering duties and classes so teachers can attend the Cadwell consultation meetings.

OPERATIONS

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LS Weekly Memo Dec. 3rd- Dec. 7th

Welcome to Week 15. Best wishes for a relaxing and restoring weekend. We have three busy weeks ahead of us as we head into our much deserved winter break.

COMMUNITY

Giving Chapel
Read communications from Jenny Cleveland. Please be on time.  

Advent Service, Wed., Dec. 12th 6:30-7:30
A lovely service to get us all in the holiday spirit!

No SST Meeting on Monday, Dec. 3rd
Jenny and Chris will be busy sorting bags until 10 or 10:30.  David is away too, see below.

David at Budget Meetings, Monday, Dec. 3rd
David is busy all day on Monday with Department Chair’s budgeting meeting.  If you need immediate assistance, ask Lyn. She will find Chris, Patti, Ari or Jenny.

Board Holiday Party, Saturday, December 15 - RSVP
This year, as the school prepares to ask the board and community members to support our dream of a new LS Building, I would greatly appreciate your attendance at the Holiday Party.  Please be sure to RSVP.  It promises to be lots of fun- and door prizes too.

Secret Holiday Happening (S.H.H., formerly “Secret Santa”), 12/10 - 12/14
If you wish to participate, sign up on the SHH Google doc by Wednesday. Jenny will send out the SHH Google doc on Monday, 12/3.  
Monday through Friday, 12/10 - 12/14, participants will have the opportunity to share three small gifts.  Your call on when you deliver.  We’ll exchange gifts at Monday, 12/17, SHH gathering.

Secret Holiday Happening Party, Monday, Dec. 17th
Lyn will send out a potluck list next week. Be on the lookout!

Shotts Update
Andy Shotts has been cleared to return to campus for special school events and to pick up and drop off the boys on alternate Fridays and Mondays.  See David if you have any questions.

Chris’ Classroom Visits
I visit specialist classes on Monday morning (10-10:50) and BS and LS classrooms on Tuesday morning (8:15-9:25).  Don’t be surprised if I pop in!  I hope to visit 5th and possibly 4th next Tuesday.  Amy and Kirstin, I’ll try to stop by Monday morning.  Know that if an urgent matter arises, I will need to postpone my visits for another time.  

David’s Classroom Visits
I am scheduled to visit classes from 9:45 - 10:45 on Tuesdays and 8:45 - 9:45 on Fridays. Let me know if you have something you would like me to see, and I will get it on my calendar.  Otherwise, I will simply drop in and pay your class a visit.

New Adventures in 2013-2014?
I am anticipating the busy pace of school life after Winter Break, a period of time that includes the hiring season. If you are contemplating professional changes for next year, please schedule a time to meet with me to discuss your plans.

PROGRAM

LSCTF - Monday, December 3 @ 3:15; Tonya’s Room
1. Debrief Reading Continuum use from conferences and determine next steps
2. Discuss DRA data and questions
Are students making the progress we want?
Are we supporting them at the right level?

Thursday Morning’s Faculty Meeting

Team Meeting @ Team Leader’s discretion

LS Building Design Meetings
12/5 @ 3:15 Team Leaders, Jenny Cleveland, Kirstin McAuley, MHCR
12/6 @ 3:15 All LS Faculty and  Specialists, US Room 60
12/11 and 12/12 See Schedule- Teams Meet with Ashley Cadwell, MHCR
12/12 Meet with Building Committee, All LS Faculty and  Specialists @ 3:45-5 in Platt Global Classroom.
See David’s email for additional details.


OPERATIONS

Mark Tardy Students at 8:00 am, not earlier
I know we’ve written about this before, but please try to send your attendance at 8 or shortly after. Jenny has to go through and double check to find students who are marginally late.

Recess Equipment- Slipping a Bit?
We were doing really well, but it appears that the collection of all equipment at the end of recess is getting a bit sloppy, especially for the older students. If you are duty, please remind students to be responsible citizens and collect equipment

Snack -
In an effort to manage our snack costs, plan on providing cheese to your students 3 times a week rather than every day.

Uniform Reminder - The OES Uniform Policy
It is time for the post holiday uniform reminder and a little Grinchiness.
1. Only OES uniform wear is to be worn in the classroom. Other fashionware may be worn outside only.
2. Footwear and socks are meant to be discrete and PE functional.  If they catch your attention they belong at home.
3. Hats are not part of the OES uniform.  Warm hats may be worn outside on cold days and should be taken off upon entering the building.
4.  Santa Hats may be worn on December 20th the last day before Winter Break, but not until then.

LS Weekly Memo Nov. 19th- Nov. 30th

Welcome to Week 13 and looking ahead to Week 14. Thanksgiving Break is almost here.

COMMUNITY

Assembly
Thank you Kristen Haferbecker for the inspiration, organization and execution of a fabulous new assembly format.  Kudos to Margaret and Laura for creating such interest in art for all our students.  As always, our thanks to Dave Hall for sharing his musical talents at our assemblies. We will work on the timing and are looking forward to the next assembly.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day - 11/20
We are anticipating a significant gathering of grandparents and special friends as you may have seen in the latest email from Development.  Take a look at the number of grandparents planning on visiting your class so you can plan accordingly.

Note that :
Guest will start arriving in classrooms at 8:45
1st and 2nd recess is from 9:45 - 10:05
9:45 - All guest are invited to have a break, enjoy coffee in the LS Library or OES Chapel
Chapel is from 10:15 - 10:45
Look for a note from Jenny Cleveland about a seating plan.

Thank You to Parents Who Purchased Wish Lists
A number of  parents generously donated books to Beginning and Lower School classrooms. Travis and Donna Knight were especially generous donating books to multiple classrooms.  
It would be nice to take a minute in the next week or so to send a thank you note to the families that donated book(s) to your classroom.

Secret Santa
Jenny and Lyn, our party mavens, are putting together plans for our holiday party, Monday, December 17th.  Save the date! Dream about the special treats you wish your secret Santa will bring. Make a list. Check it twice. Watch for more details from Jenny about Secret Santa and Lyn regarding the holiday party pot luck in an upcoming WM.

PROGRAM

On-line Reading Subscriptions- Gentle Reminder
Thanks to those of you who responded to Chris’ query about RAZ.  We really need to know about ALL of the online subscriptions you plan to use this year and next (David is drawing up next year’s budget in the next two weeks). I sent out a link in an email today Please fill in your portion by next Tuesday.

Open Block- Tech Team Kudos
Our kudos to the Tech Team for putting together these informative cross-divisional tech workshops.  What a great way to move us along in the ever-changing world of technology.  They even provide snacks to keep brains functioning at the end of a long day.

January Report Writing
Our winter report writing season will approach quickly after winter break. We return to school on January 7 and our report writing day is January 18th, the Friday before MLK Day.

Of course this means that you will have one week less to assess your students.  You may want to think about doing a few assessments before going on break to get a jump on this all-important assessment work.

Budget for 2013-14
David is inthe midst of budget planning for next year.  Let him know if you or a teaching team have ideas that might impact the budget for next year.

LS Building
We have finalized plans for our first foray into the LS Building planning process.

12/5/12, 3:15 - 4:45; Team Leaders will meet with Suzy Cessor to prep for design planning 12/6, 3:15 - 4:45; All LS Faculty will meet to begin design process
12/11, 7:30 - 3:30; Teams will meet with Ashley Cadwell for 1.5 hour sessions to advance design thinking
12/12, 7:30 - 3:30; Teams will meet with Ashley Cadwell for 1.5 hour sessions to advance design thinking
12/12, 3:45 - 5:00; Teams will present design ideas to members of Building Committee

We will start off with a focus on program on 12/6 and then consider how it drives spatial needs.

Questions to consider for discussion on 12/6:
What aspects of the current LS program work really well?
What do you wish to be true of the Lower School program in 3-5 years?
What can you image could be true of the LS program in 20 years?

Faculty Meeting 11/29
Agenda
Self Study Summary -  read and discuss
Financial Aid
Google Drive


OPERATIONS

Special BS Team Meeting, Monday 11/26, 3:15-4:30 to Discuss Assistant’s Schedule
We will gather to discuss possible changes that will meet the needs of our programs and be more assistant teacher-friendly. Assistants, you will be paid for your time. Would someone be willing to host this meeting?

Final Site Calendar- All School Calendar Cancellations
If you remove a date from the Faculty Events Google Calendar, please alert Lyn or Chris.  We want to be sure to get the date removed from Final Site, the All School Calendar Anne Weston maintains.
Every week Lyn and Chris review the calendar. It gets confusing if a date is removed from the Faculty Events Google Calendar, but is left on the Final Site.  Let us know so we can get the calendars in sync.

School Start and Attendance
Just in case there is a lack of clarity:

Bell rings @ 7:50
School Starts @ 7:55
Attendance completed @ 8:00

Buzzers
You may have noticed that our buzzers have not been working this week. Jon von Behren tried to fix the problem but ran into trouble. He hopes to get the buzzers back on schedule next week.

Snack
Shirley is concerned that some people are not picking up their snack, and food is being wasted.  Please be sure to serve students snack in the morning and afternoon. If for some reason you can’t eat your regular snack, be sure to refrigerate it and serve as an extra special snack the following day.  

Snack Reduction
We are currently on track to spend $33,000 on snacks this year, with a budget of only $21,000.  We will be looking at ways to reduce the cost and amount of snack.

Giving Tree is Coming
Jenny Strode is coordinating Giving  Tree with Myra Clark. Giving Tree benefits AASK students and their families.  Look for tags in the faculty room some time in the next few weeks.  

LS Weekly Memo Nov. 12th- Nov. 16th

Welcome to Week 12!  Thanks for all of the time, energy and effort that went into gettig ready for and attending Open House.  Many prosective parents got this look of bliss on their faces as they toured your classrooms.  You could just tell that they were imagining the possibilities, envisioning their child in our thriving learning community.  We had a great turn out.  More reflections to come. We’d love to hear your feedback on what went well and what we could do next year to improve on this year’s Open House.  

COMMUNITY

Grandparents Day - 11/20
Plan on having your students in your class from 8:45 - 10:00 am so grandparents can find their grandchildren.  Extra chairs will be available in the BS Hallway, 1st/ 2nd Grade and 4th/ 5th Grade common areas.

AS FOESL Fall Book Fair, Tuesday, 11/13 - Thursday, 11/15
Have fun selecting books for family, friends and you and support the great work of FOESL.

AS Faculty Meeting, Thursday 11/15 7:45 - 8:40am
We will be updating the faculty on strategic initiatives - Intercultural Competence, Professional Growth Plan and Inquiry.

LS Assembly, Friday, 11/16,  8:10 - 8:40
Following the Essential Competencies themes, the assembly will be about I Create. Kristen and her collaborative crew have another new interactive all community event planned for us. Look for details soon.

PROGRAM

LS Curriculum Task Force Meeting, 11/5, Reading Continuum Appreciative Inquiry
We had a great turn out. In addition to our usual CTF crew, a number of interested faculty joined us to share their thoughts on the use of the continuum at our latest round of parent conferences. Chris will send out the notes she took at the meeting.  

Revised Building Design sessions
Due to a scheduling conflict with Suzy Cessor, we are rescheduling our initial design session to Thursday, December 6 from 3:15 - 4:45, location TBD.  Sessions with the Ashley Cadwell will occur on 12/11 and 12/12. Plan on attending an afternoon faculty meeting on 12/12 to review initial ideas.

How Children Succeed, Ch. 2, 3 Discussion
We will meet in the LS Art Room form 11:00 - 11:50 on 11/15 to reflect on the reading.  All are welcome.

OPERATIONS

Special BS Team Meeting, Monday 11/26, 3:15-4:30 to Discuss Assistant’s Schedule
We will gather to discuss possible changes that will meet the needs of our programs and be more assistant teacher-friendly. Assistants, you will be paid for your time. Would someone be willing to host this meeting?

Field Trips
Be sure to get approval and submit the following paperwork for field trips before committing to payments;

Bus Request

Day Trip Form

Catering

Budget Planning
Next year’s budget is due to the Business Office on December 6. If you are anticipating any significant changes to your program that would have financial implication communicate with David.  This could include:

curriculum supplements - online resources, book sets, manipulatives

additional field trips

major purchases

Benefits Enrollments Due Friday, November 16

Gift Cards
The School is no longer able to distribute gift cards or other items redeemable for cash to employees due to IRS Tax issues.  See David if you have questions.

LS Weekly Memo November 5th - 9th, 2012

Welcome to Week 11.  Thank you for your diligent preparation for conferences.  I continue to be impressed with your understanding of and insights about our students.  Enjoy a restful weekend.

COMMUNITY

Substitutes - We have a number of new substitute teachers whom Jenny will be looking to try out in near future.  If you have a strong preference for a particular substitute clearly communicate that to Jenny Strode on your request form.  Please do not ask the substitute yourself.

Post-Conference Support
Talk with David or Chris if you had particular concerns arise during any of your conferences.  Contact an SST member if the question of support arose during a conference.

PROGRAM

LSCTF - 3:15 - 4:30 in DVR
We will be discussing the reading continuum; rationale, reflections on use during conferences, next steps.

Open House
Be sure to review Sarah’s email about details.  Remember to let maintenance know ASAP if you have issues that need to be addressed before OH.  

New Lower School Building
Over the next month we will be working to develop concepts for the new building.  We will begin the process on the afternoon of Thursday, November 29 with a Design Thinking exercise facilitated by Suzy Cessor, mother of Gracie Mosscrop in 5th grade. We will follow up with more intensive team work with Ashley Cadwell of Cadwell Collaborative on December 11 and 12. Please reserve the afternoons of 11/29, 12/11 and 12/12.
If you want to begin collecting your ideas think about:
What works in our current space
What you wish worked in our current space
What you could imagine in a new PreK - 5 building

OPERATIONS

Classroom Agreements
Thank you to those of you who posted your agreements on your websites. If have not done so yet, please do.

Doors and Attendance -  
In an effort to have more accurate records of student attendance and in hopes we can get more families to arrive at school on time, we are going to begin having the doors lock at 7:55 each morning, except Thursday. We will start this on Monday, November  12.  Please take attendance shortly after 7:55.   Be careful to accurately record each child’s status.  We have had some inaccuracies lately.


Professional Development
Let me know if you are interested or have other ideas.

Introduction to Digging In: Place-Based Food and Garden Education for Teachers
http://graduate.lclark.edu/live/events/13587-introduction-to-digging-in-placebased-food-and

PLAYFUL LITERACY: SUPPORTING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE ARTS AND LITERACY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

http://www.pnais.org/page.cfm?id=18&start=09/05/2013&verbose=7461