Weekly Memo 4, September 7 - 14

Weekly Memo Weekly Memo 4, September 7 - 14, 2018

Congratulations on completing the first week. Kirstin, Chris and David are here to help with any beginning of year challenges o ropportunities that have arisen.  Rest up this weekend and get ready for a full 5 days with Back to School Night right in the middle.

LS Faculty Agreements
*Do what is best for the students

*Assume we are all doing our best at the moment and our intentions are positive
*Be present, participate, contribute, include many voices
*Create a safe space that encourages sharing different opinions, ideas, perspectives
*Seek understanding, be curious about what others think
*Express gratitude, joy and encouragement
*Communicate with compassion, clarity and effectiveness
*Demonstrate respect

New items in BLACK. Repeated items in BLUE.


COMMUNITY

LS Chapel, Tuesday, 9/11

Our first Lower School Chapel is on Tuesday. Look fro an email from Phillip with a seating chart. Please be on time. Chapel starts at 8:10 and ends at 8:40.

September is Faculty/Staff OES Fund Month!

As I mentioned in our opening meetings, I will be the Lower School representative to the OES Fund this year. The OES Fund is the school's most vital and fundamental fundraising effort. In September, the school kicks off the OES Fund by asking Faculty and Staff to donate. The goal is 100% Faculty and Staff participation, and, truly, any donation in any amount is appreciated! 

Your donation to the OES Fund is spent on our highest priorities to meet the immediate needs of students, faculty and staff in many ways, including our Professional Growth and Development program. The tuition for OES only covers about 89% of the cost of the education and so that gap is made up by contributions to the annual fund and by our OES Auction in March.  

This year, you can again choose to designate your OES Fund gift to one of the following areas:

• Greatest Need & Highest Priority
• Financial Aid
• Athletics
• Science & Technology
• Arts & Literature
• Service & Community

Here is the link for the online giving form which will deduct your gift from your paycheck either as a one time gift or over a few months.  You may also donate by cash or check using giving envelopes you can grab from my mailbox. If you have any questions about the OES Fund please feel free to reach out to me or to Annual Giving Manager, Mary Beth Muscarella; we're always happy to answer questions. 

Senior Entrance

Each year the senior class puts together a theme for the year and reveals it during their theatrical entrance. This year the senior entrance will be in the gym, starting at 8:15. The theme is always a mystery and often appropriate for older Lower Schoolers. The choices is yours whether to attend or not.

Open Classroom

Thank you for welcoming our new families early. We heard your feedback. Next year we will coordinate with the other divisions and shorten the LS Open Classroom to 2 hours; 30 minutes for new families and 90 for all.

Dining Hall Health Alerts

Elaine has updated the allergy alert folders in the dining areas. She reminds us to review class allergies so you can check the allergen listing at the front of the line and help students choose safely.

US Student Helpers

This US student group gives support to offices and classrooms at OES during our activity period - Wednesdays 10:15-10:45 and Thursdays 11:00-11:45. Some faculty/staff like having a student each activity period, others just need a hand now and then.

Please let me know if you are interested in having a student helper and I will put you on our list! Our Activity block starts this next Thursday and runs all three trimesters.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Lower School Fall Family Festival & Picnic 
Saturday, September 22, 3-6 pm
Please join our Lower School community for live music, face painting, a pie baking contest, and family-friendly games like lawn bowling, egg spoon races and sack races!  Bring a blanket and picnic dinner for your family, meet new and old friends and enjoy a popsicle from Stellar Pops!
This is really a family event and completely optional for faculty.
Please RSVP to the LS Fall Family Festival & Picnic Invitation 

SST Updates
Each week the Student Support Team (SST) meets to discuss students. Below is the shared agenda so you know who we discussed. We are trying a new format for the agenda which will help us prioritize students and focus on next steps.
SST Agenda

New Student Support Team (SST) Site
Brad B is working with developers to create the new Student Support Site. It will be where we record discussions and plans for students with more details than in the SST agenda.

Teacher Websites and Blogs
The school is moving toward Google Sites as the communication tool for teachers to parents. We are working on a template and training plan for LS.

Plant Update from Austin:
I have one bag of potting soil left, and a few pots. If you have any plants left that you would like me to transplant, please let me know. If I get enough interest I might buy more soil as well.

PROGRAM

LS Faculty Meeting
Monday, 9/10 - no meeting, BTSN preparations
Thursday, 9/13 - no meeting, BTSN recovery. Faculty on campus by 8:15.
Monday, 9/17 @ 3:15 - PGB (Professional Growth Block). This is time to work on school initiatives, goals, committee work
Thursday, 9/20 @ 7:40 - LS Faculty Meeting, LS Library

Wednesday, 9/12, Back to School Night, 6:30 - 8:30pm
We will have a similar format to last year with 3 rotations for all parents: 55 min in classrooms, 25 minutes w/ specialists and 25 minutes for a state of Lower School address.
We all need to be aware of time so folks get to the ir next rotation on time.
Specialists have an improved format for their rotation

The Rotation:

Time	Classroom	Classroom	Specialist	State of LS
	Classroom	Classrooms	Dining Commons	LS Library
6:30-6:55	PK, K, P		1st, 2nd	3rd, 4th, 5th
7:00-7:25	PK, K,P	3rd, 4th, 5th		1st, 2nd
7:30-7:55	1st, 2nd	3rd, 4th, 5th	PK, K, P
8:00-8:25	1st, 2nd		3rd, 4th, 5th	PK, K, P

LS Technology Corner

Debra’s Classes Begin:

Short Rotation Sessions this week and next focus on Introduction to tools and classroom norms around technology. Look for more curriculum updates soon.

Jeffrey’s Schedule
In its simplest form is here: https://goo.gl/7UVxtB
Appointment Calendar for setting appointments: https://goo.gl/Y9Vg1o
Highlights
20min blocks: Take as many as you need if you need more time
Book ahead: Think about events/projects coming up
Delete it from your calendar and it automatically frees up the spot for others

New Chrome User Interface (UI) in Version 69 for 10 year anniversary. This UI change brings the Chrome Browser in-line with recent changes you may have noticed in Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar. Here’s a great “What’s New” article about it.

https://www.blog.google/products/chrome/chromes-turning-10-heres-whats-new/

1to1 iPads in 5th Grade upgraded with Keyboard cases and Apple Pencil Support.

Read more about these cases here (Also being used in the Middle School iPad program)

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/ruggedcombo2

3rd Grade goes 1to1 iPads with a more lean setup for maximum mobility to maximize their recording and interviewing skills

**Make iPad App (or Chromebook App) requests with this form https://goo.gl/forms/3sQYz721hd9Evhml1

Link to List of Current Technology in Classrooms: this document will be fleshed out in the coming weeks and allow you to see what is available to teachers and students at each grade level

FUN FACT: A LS student has made us a serious trade offer on our Ninjago clock as a trade for his Star Wars clock, the LS Tech team is mulling over this offer.

All School Tech Support? first email OEShelp@oes.edu

Guest Teacher Folders
Make sure that in your Guest Teacher folder you have:
* a copy of your schedule, please add your duties
* a copy of your class health alerts
*a copy of the building operation instructions
*a copy of safety instructions

LS Library Author Visit, Yuyi Morales

The Lower School Library is excited to welcome author and illustrator Yuyi Morales to OES on Monday, October 1st from 10-10:45. Ms. Morales is an award-winning illustrator and author who is the first Latina to win a Caldecott Award. Reviewing Morales's work, School Library Journal contributor Sue Morgan praised her "beautifully rendered earth-tone illustrations," and Kirkus Review calls her newest book “a resplendent masterpiece”. She will share her latest work “Dreamers” or “Sonadores” with our students which tells her own story of immigration from Mexico.

Thanks to Green Bean Books for making this visit possible!

I will be reading her new book to the classes who are attending the visit and also will show her reading "Nino Wrestles the World"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv0NFSQroRU

We need all preorder forms by September 14th (Friday).  Please bring them to the library or put them in my mailbox. As always, book orders are optional. We will deliver the books that are purchased to the classroom on the day of her visit after they are signed.

Summer Stipends

Please complete the Summer Stipend Follow-up Form to share your stipend work and request compensation for your days. Forms need to be completed by this Friday, September 14.

Beginning Years faculty, please continue to check the BY Odds and Ends (see tab at the top of the WM) for ongoing announcements and resources related to Beginning Years. Feel welcome to add your own announcements and questions. 

OPERATIONS

Purchased Materials and Books
Please mark materials and books purchased with school funds with your Room Number
Please mark materials and books purchased with your own funds with your Name
We had some trouble sorting out which was which as people left and changed rooms.

Volunteer Sign-ups

If you have not sent your volunteer needs for the month of September to your room parent, please do it ASAP. They need time to solicit for volunteers. If you do not need volunteers for September, please let your room parent know that as well.

September 4– Teacher Responsibility 

All classroom volunteer needs for the month of September only should be emailed directly to your class room parent.  Please use linked spreadsheet.

September 21 – Teacher Responsibility

All classroom volunteer needs for the remainder of the school year should be emailed directly to your class room parent.  Please use attached spreadsheet.
Room Parents - Here is the list of LS Room Parents

Building Cleaning

Gigi Sanden and Debby Harder will be regularly cleaning the LS Building this year. Introduce yourself when you see them - Employee Directory has their pictures.

Parking

Starting on Open Classroom Day please plan on parking behind the gym or at SPARC. We need to leave the upper lot in front of the LS free for parent parking. See David if you have questions.

Orders

From now on please use the LS Order Form to request new order requests. 

The Order Form can be found in the Weekly Memo. You can also track information on your request through the Order Tracking Form.

LS FORMS are accessible through the Weekly Memo’s “Important Links”: LS Common Forms & other Relevant Information

Your Announcements

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

Employee Resources

A helpful tool can be found  in the OES website for employees to save time searching different sites when you need to access the basic forms like check request, catering, maintenance requests and other resources.