LS Weekly Memo Week 22: February 4 - 8

Welcome to Week 22: We have three consecutive short weeks ahead as we power through February- Admissions Day, Conferences and then a day to restore on President’s Day.  Thanks for all your hard work with reports.  Due to Angela’s good work, the reports were posted to the Parent Portal on Friday.  At the Admission Day on Saturday, several current parents commented on the positive impact both your reports and the upcoming conferences have on their family’s school experience.


COMMUNITY

Best Wishes to Angela
We wish Angela all the best on her leave.  She will return to Lower School in August. Thank you Debra and Chad for agreeing to tend to her responsibilities in her absence.

Damaged student work
5 students in Kiah’s class have had their work damaged after the work was hung in the hallway outside her classroom. Contact Kiah or David if you have any information or questions related to this.  

Grade Level Coffees - Mid Year
Our thanks to Kiah, Asha, Lara, Ari and Angela for their contributions to Third and Fourth Grade Parent Coffees this past week.  Below you will find a list of possible topics for our last two coffees. Please update/or add topics you wish to discuss at your grade’s mid-year coffee by clicking on the link below.  https://docs.google.com/a/go.oes.edu/document/d/1WNqKkGJ4D7X6LHD0OndQB-bLdvobCXDtLICjqJja1Ro/edit

Grade	Date	Topics
1st Grade- Marty	Monday, February 4	Reading Continuum Assessments
5th grade- Tasha	Tuesday, February 5	ERB’s Plays Competitions OBOB Screen Time

Auction Deadlines and How You Can Help
Monday, February 4th is our deadline for Auction Donations.  Drop a book off at the LS Office if you want to contribute to the Bookself item. Sign up to volunteer on Volunteer Spot. It is a great night to show your support for our generous parents.  Remember a portion of the proceeds goes to our Professional Development fund. Attend dressed up as your favorite TV Character.

Arts Week
You will be hearing more about Arts Week next Thursday....
but here is a link for some Arts Week 2013 ideas and resources  - if you so choose to do something Aard(t)y during a class.

PROGRAM

AS Faculty and Staff Meeting - State of School
3:15 Dining Hall
Mo Copeland - Strategic Initiatives Update
Andrea Bride - School Finances
Susie Gundle - Admissions Update

LS Faculty Meeting - 7:30 DVR
2/7/2013 7:30:00 Appreciations
7:40:00 Technology update
8:00:00 Admissions preparation

Admissions Day - 2/8
See emails from Sarah.  We will be getting admissions groups together Thursday morning during our faculty meeting to review roles and assign tasks. Thank you to Sarah for all her hard work organizing the day.

Tour Beginning School Classrooms
Ashley Cadwell said that beautiful spaces enhance students’ learning. Beginning School Teachers have graciously offered to open their classrooms and studio on Tuesday, February 19th from 7:30- 7:50. Please take time to explore their beautiful and inviting learning environments. We wonder, what would it look like if we had beautiful common spaces and possibly studios in the Beginning and Lower School in which students made their learning visible to the school community?

OPERATIONS

US Study Buddies - Remember that US Students need to be supervised when working with LS students, whether that is before, during or after school.

Tidy Common Areas Before Admissions Day, Friday, Feb. 8th
It is that dark time of year...Common Areas are looking a little rough around the edges. Please take time to tidy your Area before our visitors arrive on Admissions Day this coming Friday.

Admissions Visitors
Thank you for your extr efforts to remind buddies to be in the LS Office waiting for their admissions visitor before the bell rings.  Please match the gender of the visitor to host.  We have had a couple of disappointed

On Campus Adventures
Please remember to have 2 adults present when venturing out on a campus adventure.  We know it is nice to be spontaneous and explore on these days when hints of spring emerge. But please follow these safety procedures:
-Carry a First Aid Fanny pack
-Take at least 2 adults
-Let the office know where you are going, when you plan to leave and when you plan to return.
-Take a cellphone, call the office in an emergency

Calendar
David, Chris and Lyn will have their first go at the Beginning and Lower School Calendar for 2013-2014 academic year next week. Anne Weston expects us to submit a draft of the calendar by March 1st. If you expect to make some significant change to your grade level’s calendar, please let your team leader know.

Playground Safety
You may remember that a Second Grade Basketball ball player broke his arm last week while playing under the covered area. It turned out to be an accident, no reckless play. But it is a reminder that hula hoop games and basketball aren’t really safe in that tight space. Whenever, possible, have them play in separate areas. We recognize that is sometimes hard on rainy days.  

Supervision and Evaluation of Assistant Teachers: A Timeline
Please be sure to meet with your assistant to review goals (hopefully they were established in the fall, if not do so asap) and set dates to complete the supervision and evaluation process.  Third through Fifth Grade, please decide who will support Kate in this process this year. I know you rotate from year-to-year.
You should both complete the supervision and evaluation form and meet to review your individual reflections.  Submit completed forms to Lyn by spring break.
Assistant Teachers, plan to pursue other career adventures in 2013-2014 please let us know by spring break.