LS Weekly Memo Weekly Memo Week 11, October 26-30 , 2015

Thank you to those who welcomed Lewis and Clark student teachers into their classroom on Thursday. The students came away so appreciative of your welcome and impressed with your work.  Best of luck with conferences this week.  The members of SST will do their best to be available if you want to talk through any challenging conferences.  

There were a notable number of student issues over the last two weeks.  The annual honeymoon is over.  Ask for help with a student or class if you need it. Interesting article on "What does real forgiveness look like" courtesy of the Marshall Memo.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

• The best news is our move in date keeps moving earlier. Even though we are still at risk for weather delays until the roof is on, on time and under budget looks realistic.
• It is all about wall building and dirt moving.  You can get a good sense of the building layout now, looking over the foundation pours.
• Stuff Matters - Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik, has a great chapter on concrete if your are curious about its history and science.

Playground Design with Natural Materials

Greening the Campus - Strategic Energy Management (SEM) plan

COMMUNITY

Classroom Agreements for Chapel Blessings

Thank you Jennie for orchestrating the blessing.  Onto the for the good, hard working of living our agreements

Major Rules - If a student violates a major rule, Chris and David need to know and need to be part of the determination of consequences and reparations.

• Verbal abuse, physical abuse, bullying, or inappropriate physical touch.
• Lying, deceit, or other dishonest conduct
• Destruction of property belonging to the School, its personnel or another student
• Stealing
• Inappropriate language
• Possession or use of weapons or any object that is used in a threatening manner

Lincoln Logs

I have given permission for use of 6-8 medium lincoln logs and a collection of smallest logs to be used in the boat area on ACP.  The logs should not be used to shoot at others.

Field Trips Budgets

Each year I budget $1500 per grade for field trips, thinking that is roughly 3 trips per grade.  I have had a great flurry of field trip requests recently.  Though it is too late to expand the budget this year, it is great time to build a budget for next year.  Spend wisely this year and start thinking about next year.

Sack Lunches

When you order sack lunches for your class field trips, please go to your alert list and make sure to order gluten free sack lunches or other specialized lunches for students with allergies. Apparently, one student who is gluten free didn’t get a sack lunch during one of the field trips.

Student Drop-off

If you have repeat offenders, please send them into the office. By now they know what to do.

Lewis and Clark Student Teachers Visit, 10/22

A great time was had by all.  They were so appreciative of your warm welcome, the character of our students and your skill as educators.

PE Offering in the Gym

The PE Team would like to start offering options in the gym during Lunch Recess starting after Conferences.  To do so for 4th and 5th grade we will need an additional duty teacher for Lunch Recess from 10:50 - 11:20 on M, W, F. Email David and PE teachers  if you can cover Friday. Chris will cover Monday and David will cover Wed.

2015-16 Chaperone Needs

I know there are more. Please enter your Chaperone needs in 2015-16 Chaperone Needs by Wednesday so I can make a plan.

OES Fund Request - are we approaching our goal of 100%?

Students of Concern

• HB - K- CB
• Has difficulty keeping up with the flow of things, can be disruptive.  Let Carole and Chris know if he is having difficulties. We want to be consistent in our support.
• OB-K-CB
• Mourning the loss of her father, hasn’t wanted to be at school, has strayed away from the class, needs to be shadowed
• Giving her lots of love and support
• Specialists check in with Carole on how she is doing, we are taking this day by day

• LL- 1 KMcA
• Specialists, refer to the notes Kirstin sent out
• Call the office if he gets stuck and disrupts the class or needs support on the playground

• SG - 2 JB
• Working on first time listening, being respectful to adults and students, doing his best, being a flexible thinker
• Let Jackie or Chris know if he is having difficulty in your class
• If he gets stuck and disrupts the class, let Chris know- call the office
• GH - 4 RT  having a very difficult time recently
• Transitions are difficult.  G should be next to teacher during transition
• Needs explicit directions about how to manage his body in class
• Benefits from 5’ perimeter from friends when having trouble focusing
• If his behavior is a safety issue he needs to come to the LS Office for time to settle and regain self-control
• SK and BT- 4 RT

S has been asked to give Ben, also in Rachel’s class, some space; not to work with

Ben in class, or socialize in any way.  Let Rachel, Chris or Melanie know if any

issues arise with these students.

• 4th Grade Boys Rough Play at Recess

The same group of boys who engaged in rough play in First Grade are

periodically getting into rough play, sometimes over pretend games, some-

times it is related to tag or soccer games out on the field at lunch recess and

afternoon recess. Please keep a special eye on them if you are supervising these

areas and let Chris or David know if any issues arise.  See Chris if you don’t know the backstory on these students.  

• SW- 4AS
• SW to be walking track during lunch recess and to give Shaila space.
• Please keep a special eye on SW at recess and during transitions to special classes
• Let Chris and Asha know if he has physical reactions with other children

• 5th grade girls - Ava, Elsa, Maggie and Sophia in Alysa’s class
• These Fifth Grade girls reconciled, but please continue to keep a special eye on them, and let Alysa, Melanie or Chris know if friendship issues become problematic.

Student Support Team

Know we have begun are weekly meetings and have time slots available for teachers. Reach out if you want to consult about a student.

Attendance - We are back to digital attendance.  LS at 8:00. BS at 8:10

Please do not enter any after school changes in PCR.  If a parent let’s you know about an after school change of plans, please refer them to lsattend@oes.edu.

Upper School Helpers - Every Wednesday, 10:20-10:50, Every Thursday, 10:50-11:50

Field Trips I - Use the Field Trip Checklist

Chapel - Monday - 11:50 - 12:20, Friday - 8:10 - 8:40

Judith Black Resources - CDs and DVD by Storyteller Judith Black

LS Library Open for 1st-5th from 7:30 - 7:50 each day

Transitions for 2015-16 - Transitions Document

Local Beekeeper - Michael Standley, US Ceramics Teacher,

Yellowjackets - be aware and careful when adventuring

Rain Coats - remind your students to bring them

Community Communications Protocol - see David before sending out community wide email

Fall Parent Partnership Coffees - Coffees conclude this week.

Timeliness - it is a year long theme.  

LS Office Conference Room - voices carry

Whistle Signals - 1 for recess.  3 for emergencies

LS Office as Communication Hub

PROGRAM

Conference Report Form

Here is the updated LS Conference Report Form.  Please use this for your conference notes for fall and spring.  Some grades have asked for variations.  Similar to the UBD work, I prefer a common look to all “above the line”, above conference notes.   You are welcome to add additional content after that.

Conference

• Be sure to discuss each student’s strengths, challenges, goals. Most importantly, be sure you have plans for achieving the goals
• You are the experts
• Parents should not be surprised by information in the conference--communicate difficult news well ahead of time
• Refrain from discussing other students, or siblings
• Refrain from describing your class as the “crazy one”, “the wild class”

Conference Reschedules

Last winter 10% of LS families requested a reschedule on non-conference days. For future conferences, parents will need to request permission from Head of LS to reschedule conferences.

Faculty Meetings

Monday, October 26 - No Meeting, Conference Prep

Thursday, October 29 - No Meeting, Conferences

Make Up Classes

Every year different teachers request make-up classes after days off or field trips.  I want to discourage this practice.  We cannot make time.  Any “make-up” takes time away from something else. It does get me curious about the benefits of a rotating schedule.

Library of Congress Online Conference

Library of Congress is offering a free two day on-line conference on October 27-28which happens 4-8pm EST (or 1-5pm our time).  Focus is Primary Sources, Inquiry and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but you can see more details here. Registration is required yet sessions will be recorded for future viewing.  I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in the Primary Source training which the LOC offers.

Enchanted Learning

The renewal for Enchanted Learning happens this November.  Lara is considering whether or not renew it.  If you do use Enchanted Learning, please email Lara.  If she does not hear from anyone, she will assume we are no longer using it and will not renew it.

Missing Drums:

A big black drum and a medium green drum have gone missing from the Lower School Music Room--Scott House Room 22. Both are part of our Remo nesting drums set. They are part of most music classes, and their absence has been missed! If you have them, please let me know. I am happy to loan drums, but I like to know their whereabouts. Thanks! Kristen

Lamb Endowment - see Erin

Book Recommendations for the Library - see Lara’s signature

2015-16 Faculty Events Calendar - enter dates

Schedules - changes to Lyn

OPERATIONS

Personal Days

Personal days may be taken in 2 hour increments.  See Employee Handbook for additional information.

MEMORANDUM TO OES EMPLOYEES TRAVELING ON SCHOOL BUSINESS - See Tammy’s email

IMPORTANT: After School Plans

Kati Stenstrom, our new After School Classes and Summer Camp  Director, Sherie Davison, her Assistant, Kathy Finn Brennan and I met last week to review the situation that occurred the week before when a Second Grader’s absence from an after school class went seemingly unnoticed. We have a plan which we think will prevent this mishap from happening in the future, but we need your help.

Please be sure to send your students to the gym for After School Classes on time. That means send them out your door around 2:50 so they can arrive for After School Class  attendance check at 2:55. When students trickle in, arriving at 3:00 it makes accurate attendance check difficult and delays the start of classes.

Hiring Substitute Teachers

I’ve begun interviews with ten substitute teacher candidates. This is a lengthy process that involves interviews and follow up reference checks. If you see me in my office a lot in the coming week you can assume I am calling references.

Calendar Updates- Specifically for December through February

Please be sure to enter your big events- plays, field trips, learning celebrations posted on the faculty event calendar and Anne’s All School calendar.  Remember, if an event impacts parents and families, you must get that on the Anne’s calendar.

This is really important! Sarah is scheduling student visits in the coming weeks and doesn’t want to book students on days when special events occur.

We suggest each team designate one “calendar person.” Several teams do this and it is super efficient way of keeping calendars up to date.

Additional Background Checks for Specialists Teachers and All Who Supervise Pre-K

Thank you for attending to this administrative requirement.

Noise Level Entering and Exiting the Dining Hall

Sand Box Toys - Take good care of them

OES Car Stickers - coming from Robbi in 2 weeks

Bring Cell Phones to Recess Duty - Miriam’s direct line on speed dial 503.768.3143

Emergency Drills - You will not be notified when.  Talk students through basics.

Your Announcements

Send any announcements you have for faculty to Chris or me by Thursday each week and we will include them in the Weekly Memo.  This should help reduce the number of emails we are receiving, and to maximize our time to collaborate during meetings.