LS Weekly Memo
LS Weekly Memo Week 23, February 1-6, 2016
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Thanks to all who welcomed and worked with our admissions visitors on Friday. Your observations of these candidates are invaluable.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
- The new covered area will be opening soon. A final blacktop coating, installation of basketball hoops and line painting will have to wait until the weather is warmer.
- Once all the rooms are roughed out, Jon and I will find dates for faculty tours of the building in groups of 10 or so.
- Though the weather continues to caused a bit of a setback, the building continues to be on budget with a projected completion date of end of July.
COMMUNITY
Auction Volunteers
See Dori if you are interested.
Rosetta Lee - Inclusivity in the Younger Years
Thursday, March 3 @ 7:00 pm in MS Commons
How to Raise an Adult - Author Julie Lythcott-Haims Speaks on Campus
Monday, April 18th at 7:00 pm in the Chapel
PCL is bringing author to campus.
Marketing Department Request
If you'd like to share anything your class is up to, please send it to marketing@oes.edu--that's our catch-all inbox to make sure we're not missing out on any exciting campus happenings
Lower School Leadership
I meet with teams this week to review what I heard and models I am considering.
Upper School Helpers - see email from Robin Schaufler
Beginning this Thursday I will have a new team of Upper School students available to perform all types of on-campus service:
Every Wednesday, 10:20-10:50 (note that this is only half an hour & adjust your expectations accordingly!)
Every Thursday, 10:50-11:50
They’ll do anything—indoors, outdoors, office work, classroom work, you name it.
Chapel Schedule
- 2/5 Friday Chapel, 8:10-8:40am, Primary-5th, Burning of the Ashes at the conclusion of Chapel.2/9 Mardi Gras: Breakfast for Lunch2/10 Ash Wednesday Chapel. 11:50am-12:20pm
The annual Lower School Ash Wednesday Chapel takes place next Wednesday, February 10 from 11:50-12:20 for Primary through 5th grade. Ash Wednesdaymarks the beginning of Lent, the forty days in the church season that lead up to Easter. During this chapel, classes will place their Alleluias - brightly colored sheets bearing the joyous word we often say in chapel - in a basket. 2nd -5thgrade teachers will find these sheets in your mailboxes on Monday, Feb. 1. Please have your students decorate them and bring them to chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 10. (Primary and 1st grade classes will have a chance to decorate the sheets with me when I visit their classes during the week.) The basket of decorated Alleluias will be lifted to the ceiling in Chapel on Ash Wednesday and remains there throughout Lent. The word Alleluia is also not spoken or sung in Chapel throughout Lent.
A note about Ash Wednesday and our special Chapel gathering will go out to parents in this week’s Wednesday’s Express. A couple things for you to be aware of, especially those new to OES: we follow the Episcopal practice of offering the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday. The ashes will come from blessed palm branches that will be burned outside in the Bell Tower on Friday, February 5. We will do this during the second half of Chapel on Friday morning. Classes will stand on the pavement as Phillip and I take care of the fire. Maintenance has been asked to cordon off the area, and we will take other fire-safety precautions. We will make every effort to end by 8:40am, but be aware that Chapel may run a little long that day. I appreciate your flexibility and think that our students will enjoy witnessing this part of a sacred Christian ritual. Besides, who doesn’t love a bonfire?
As with any Episcopal tradition offered here at OES, children choose if they wish to receive the imposition of ashes. The imposition of ashes—when the ashes are placed on a person's forehead in the sign of the cross—are a tangible reminder that each of us is part of the cycle of all living things. Families are encouraged to talk about a child’s participation before the service (hence the note in theWednesday Express.) Jenny, Phillip, Heather from St. John the Baptist, and I will be on hand for this part of Wednesday’s chapel. We will also be joined by some musical guests: Angelika Furtwangler will bring some of her amazing string players to provide music during the service. Our own lovely Amy will also play solo piano.
The day before, Tuesday, February 9, the entire school will celebrate Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday by enjoying breakfast food for lunch. Yum!
FYI: US will be holding an Ash Wednesday service earlier in the day. St. John the Baptist will have their services at 7:00am and 7:00pm.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Admissions
- Pre-K Admissions Visit, Saturday, February 6th
Sarah has been in touch with participants. Thank you to those who are helping out with our very youngest applicants.
- Admissions Season
We continue to see great interest in 2nd -5th grades. Classroom teachers, thank you for hosting and providing feedback. Specialists, please take 2-3 minutes out of your day to provide feedback on visitors. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
- Friendly Reminder: Send Admissions Visitors to the Office at 2:00
Send two buddies or an Assistant Teacher at 2:00. We want our guests to avoid the traffic congestion at the end of the day.
Admissions File Readers Will Be Busy in the Coming Weeks
This year, for the first time, admissions file readers will be able to read online. Please be aware that this is a very important and huge task is underway and that David, Chris, Janet, Alysa, Ari and Melanie will be immersed in this process the next two to three weeks. Our schedules will be full, so please be understanding and support one another.
SST Site
- You have access. See Ari if you have difficulty accessing the site.
- The information is sensitive. Use professional discretion.
- Questions about content or information to add - see Ari
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
- She is doing much better. Had a shortened day, but is now trying two full days, Tuesday and Thursday. We are exploring the possibility of adding a third full day.
- Please keep Carole and Chris in the loop if challenging behavior arises again.
- SG - 2 JB
- 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
- Specialists, we had a rough week last week and decided to return to the rating system. We value your input and appreciate your feedback. Please input any rating and observations at the end of each day into the weekly googledoc. In addition to the daily communication with his family this document is also sent daily to Sam's outside support team. They appreciate the specific examples we provide and work through them with him (accomplishments and challenges). Thank you.
- SD-2TG and IB-2JS Behavior Contract- 1/25-2/1
- We met on Thursday. It was decided that these two boys would go back to a normal routine of playing together if they wished. They will also try walking together following recess.
- Fourth Grade World Cup Soccer Games
- Track and Field Duty People, please continue to keep a close eye on these games. They made a plan:
- Gather at the beginning to organize teams. They will divide into two mixed ability groups with one soccer goal OR play one large game of soccer using two goals
- Teachers out on the field, please continue to monitor this situation. Last week I had to remind them of their 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
PROGRAM
Conferences - 2/11 and 2/12
- Parents must request permission from David to reschedule conferences
- Suggest phone or video conferences on the conference days if parents are away
- David will be understanding if parent absence is due to professional commitments rather than personal travel.
- Conferences are two weeks out. Be sure to let parents know before conferences if you have significant concerns, or if you have requested a member of SST to attend the conference.
Parent Winter Coffees
Thank you Melanie for your presentation on Resiliency. Ari wil present on executive function at the 3rd -5th coffee on Tuesday.
3rd - 5th Coffee, Tuesday, 2/2 from 8:00 - 9:00 in LS Library
Progress Reports
Reports due in PCR Monday morning at 8:00.
Progress Report Timeline
Monday, 2/1 @ 8:00am - All reports posted in PCR
Friday, 2/05 - Reports posted for parents
Monday, 2/8 - ERB’s sent to 4th and 5th grade parents
Progress Report Proofing - everyone needs to have reports proofed by a colleague
- Teachers on a grade level team will proof each other’s reports
- Department members will proof each other’s reports
- David will proof Science
- Chris will help proof Art and Kelola’s Spanish reports
- All changes will need to be made in PCR by 8:00 am, 2/1
DRA Reporting and Plans
After the demands of assessing and report writing, we will ask classroom teachers to record the most recent assessments in our spreadsheet. If students are working below grade-level expectations we should gather at an SST meeting to make plans to support students’ growth.
Scheduling Task Force
Meeting, 2/1 - Define problem, begin ideation, questions for UCDS - 3:30 Rachel’s Room
Meeting 2/3 - UCDS consultancy - 3:30 Platt Global Classroom
Our scheduling consultants from University Child Development School, Melissa and Kerrie, will meet with us virtually on Wednesday, February 3rd.
Monday, 2/1 - No Meeting - Conference Prep
Thursday, 2/4 - Department/Team - see Team Leader for agenda
Monday, 2/8 - No Meeting - Conference Prep
Science Displays and Tours of Science Fair
See Anna Rozzi’s email offering two different science engagement opportunities.
After School Classes - Kati needs classrooms for after school classes. Offer what afternoons you can. See her email for details.
OPERATIONS
New Mulch on Path to Wetlands
Mark removed much of the hazelnut shells and replaced it with a wood chip mulch. The path is open.
Rainy Mud Season at Aardvark Community Park- A few things to keep in mind
Designated Excavation Area
Clearly, children love to play with mud and puddles. Wondering, how can we make this happen and keep our play spaces safe (tripping over deep ditches,etc) and keep children from becoming a wet muddy mess that needs to be dealt with following recess? Look for an email early this week when we come up with a plan.
Children Must Have Some Type of Footwear on At All Times
I noticed last week that children were walking around barefoot or in socks because their footwear got wet. For safety reasons, children should have some type of footwear on at all times. Have parents supply extra socks and footwear for those who like to muck about in mud and puddles. What fun!
Excavation Tools Cleaned Up at the End of Recess
Shelley put out a bin of 4 buckets and 6 digging tools last week. If you are on duty and put these buckets and digging tools out for children, spend the last few minutes of recess collecting these materials and get them back to the shed. We want to make sure these don’t get lost.
Emergency Closure Communication
Phone tree - we are no longer using the phone tree. We are relying on Instant Alert.
If you encountered any issues with your Instant Alert notifications, contact Rebecca Williams.
Dirty Dishes in Common Areas
Please return your dishes to the the dining hall each day. The Dining Hall is open from 10:45 - 1:15 every day. In addition, there is a tub outside the dining hall after hours for the collection of dirty dishes. Though Shirley has been willing to pick-up your dirty dishes, it is not part of her official duties.
Students on Covered Walkway and Loop Road Pick Up by 2:55
Thanks for the extra effort. It makes a difference.
Friendly Reminder About Sub Requests
Miriam continues to get requests late at night. Please do not text Miriam after 7pm. Contact her:
Evening: Sunday through Thursday 5:00-7:00pm
Morning: Monday through Friday 6-6:15am
Parent Volunteers Must Sign In at the LS Office When They Volunteer
Please remind parents in your next communication about the importance of signing in at the office. This is critical for two reasons:
•For security, our community expects visitors to wear visitor badges (BS lunch helpers will wear an OES sticker)
•In the event of an emergency- fire, earthquake, lockdown, we need to know who was in the building.
Please don’t let parents in the building without a pass. Remind them politely that they need to check in at the office.
Calendar Updates-
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 AS web calendar.
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.
