LS Weekly Memo Week 4: September 9-13

Great start to the year, but who knew 3 days could be so exhausting.  I so enjoyed the transformation of faces, from initial hesitancy and uncertainty at Open Classroom to beaming smiles by the end of the day on Wednesday.  I hope you were able to rest up over the weekend in preparation for the first full week of school.

COMMUNITY

Senior Entrance

The annual entrance of the seniors will be Monday morning at 8:00. Cars are no longer part of the tradition which should make for a safer gathering. The entrance is likely appropriate for 4th and 5th graders.

Post- Recess Check-Ins, Strategies to Use in Class Meetings

Many teachers are having class meetings after recess to debrief, asking “What went well?” “What could we do better?” Jackie Blake does role playing with her students, helping them learn “scripts” on how to solve problems.  Jackie’s students are learning to make positive suggestions, instead of saying what not to do.  

We hope you all take time to talk about these important social and emotional concerns about your class meetings in the First Six Weeks.

Incident report

Thanks to those who have begun using the form. Some guidance for use:

• Err on side of overuse at the start - incidents that require your intervention that are beyond typical reminder, start fo school situations
• Form is intended to supplement conversations.  Be sure to communicate directly with classroom teacher about student concern
• Form is intended to
• help us make connections in the community
• to help us be more proactive
• to help us more effectively problem solve and strategize

New Student Check In

Please let a member of SST know if any of your new students are having a difficult transition.  

New Student Luncheon

Patti will schedule a luncheon toward the end of September or the beginning of October. Watch for dates in an upcoming Weekly Memo.

1st Chapel

Monday, Sept. 9th is our first Primary through Fifth Grade Chapel.  It has been pointed out that there is no passing time from recess to Chapel.  Younger students may need a bathroom break and a drink, then make the transition to Chapel.  Get together with your Grade Level team and come up with a plan on how you can manage this transition.

First Assembly- Friday, September 20th DEAR 8:10-8:40

Look for details from Kristen Haferbecker soon.

Upcoming Assemblies

Sept. 27--Walk For Fun

Oct. 4--Homecoming Assembly

Oct. 25--Day of the Dead Assembly

Nov. 15--DEAR  (switched from Oct. 25)

Dec. 20--St. Nick's

PROGRAM

Faculty Meeting Thursday, 9/12/13

Team Meeting - Look for agenda and meeting locations from Team Leaders

Specialist Meeting - in the LS Art Room

SST Reminder

Student Support Team meets every Monday from 9:00 - 10:00.  Teachers may schedule a visit any Thursday from 10:50 - 11:50. Contact Ari.

Wetlands

The wetlands is open for use now that 10 days have passed since the herbicide spraying.  Curious about connecting your class with the wetlands?  Check the Wetlands Blog started by the Wetlands Stipend Group.

Second Grade Boys

Two incidents cropped up this week- one group playing ball tag games that were unsafe, and First Graders chasing Second Grade boys who were referred to as “the army”  who liked to chase and wrestle. The Second Grade team worked through this at class meetings. Please keep a special eye on these boys.

Tracy worked through the ball tag issues with the participants, and in the end, they decided they would play the safer alternative of  two-finger tag.

OPERATIONS

Uniforms - Thanks for getting us off to a good start.  Let me know if you have questions or ideas from your class that you would like me discuss.

Volunteers

Volunteer Spot launches on 9/16.  If you need volunteers before then, contact your room parents.

Snack Stewardship

Please remember to contact kitchen of you do not need snack.  I will be working with Kelly to reduce our snack expenses.

Friendly Reminder: Any Events Parents Attend Must Be Listed on Anne’s All School Final Site Calendar

Please submit your field trip dates, assemblies, culminating events, plays, Informance, competitions author visits to Anne.  One important safety precaution, don’t list the location of field trips-  simply write “Kindergarten Field Trip, Primary Field Trip, etc.”

Lyn will send out an email on the “how-tos” to refresh your memory.

Recess Reminders

We wanted to give you a quick reminder to review the google doc "Recess Equipment System 2012" under the RECESS file.

Primary Children Can Play at Aardvark Community Park

Dori’s Primary friends may choose to play on ACP or the BS playground.  Please keep an eye on our two friends, Jessie and Solomon. Let Dori know directly if you needed to support either friend.

Bus Safety Training

Robbi Garvin would like to schedule bus safety training sessions for all students some time in the coming weeks. We will look at the calendar with Team Leaders and come up with some mutually agreeable dates.

Soil Testing During Week of 9/16

A soil testing crew will be on campus drilling soil samples related to the construction of the new LS Building.  At times it will be noisy and near the BS building.