LS Weekly Memo Week 2: August 26-30

It was great to see so many of you back last week, working on your rooms, finishing up stipends and easing back into the start of the year.  To give you a sense of how committed you all are to improving your teaching, groups of LS faculty were working on stipends every week this summer but one.  Thank you for you good work. I look forward to learning about the evolution of your program as we gather for faculty meetings.  This week is busy with events, meetings and preparations for the opening of school.  At the end of the Weekly Memo is the schedule for the week, the same schedule Mo attached to her welcome letter on August 15.

COMMUNITY

Class Lists

Can you feel the excitement in the air? Class lists went out to families this afternoon around 2:30.  

Thanks to all for the time and effort that went into the class placement process this year.  What a marathon!

Open Classroom

Plan to have a 15 minute activity for older students to do in the classroom, so families have a purposeful way to remain in the classroom.

Preparation for Opening Day

First through Fifth Grade Students’ Name Tags

Please stop by and pick up name tags. Students need to wear name tags to the Belltower Ceremony. Mo wants to greet students by name when they come up to shake her hand.

PROGRAM

First Six Weeks

During Thursday’s opening faculty meeting we will renew our community’s commitment to the First Six Weeks. Please take time to review The First Six Weeks of School, particularly the first 25 pages, before our faculty meetings Wednesday and Thursday.

LS Faculty Meetings

Here is the agenda for the two LS Faculty meetings this week.  It is available as a shared docment, LS Faculty Meeting Agenda 2013-14.  See the end of WM for additional Opening Events.

8.29.13
8:30 - 12:00
LSCH
	8:00 AM	Yoga and Breakfast
	8:30 AM	Change Reflection - "Getting to No", IC Reflection
	9:00 AM	Goals - AS, LS, Team, Individual
	9:30 AM	Renewal of commitment ot Social Emotional Development
	10:15 AM	PGD Speed Learning
	10:30 AM	Team Meetings and Draft Goals
	11:30 AM	Safety and Announcements
	12:00 PM	END
8.28.13	8:30 AM	Food and Socializing
8:30 - 12:00	8:50 AM	Meetings overview
LSCH	9:00 AM	THA Building Update
	10:30 AM	Introductions
	11:00 AM	Announcements
	11:15 AM	Student discussions
		30 minutes
		K to 1st
		2nd to 3rd
		4th to 5th
		Specialists with Ari and Patti
		11:45:00
		30 minutes
		PK to K
		1st to 2nd
		3rd to 4th
		Specialists with Ari and Patti
		K to Primary - schedule
	12:15 PM	Lunch
	1:00 PM	AS Meeting - Dining Hall
	3:00 AM	End

Summer Stipends

See Lyn’s email.  Please complete the forms by August 30th for my review to esure stiopend pay is included in your October paycheck.

Schedules

There are minimal changes to the schedules with one major exception.  The elimination of transition time.  We will need to work together to ensure each class starts on time.

OPERATIONS

Beginning School’s Gentle Start, Wednesday, Sept. 4th through Friday, Sept. 6th

All Beginning School students will be dismissed at 12:30 the first three days of school.  A few things to bear in mind-

• Specialists who teach Beginning School classes, please be sure to spend time in the five classrooms getting to know students in the morning. PE teachers, I know your day will be full with Recess Rodeo- think creatively and see what you can fit in.
• All BS children will be dismissed at 12:30 from their classrooms. There will not be car pick up on the Loop Rd.  Be sure to communicate that to your parents. Make a plan for how this will work.
• First Grade classes will dismiss from the Loop Rd. as usual Wed. through Fri. at 2:55.
• Older siblings that normally come down to the BS/Loop Rd. for dismissal will get picked up by the covered walkway. This week only!
• Kathy Finn-Brennan will send out an email to BS parents next week. She hopes to get an idea of how many families plan to use EC for childcare Wednesday through Friday.  

Opening Weeks Schedule

You will receive the Opening Weeks schedule and expectations for special events. Everyone needs to pitch in and provide extra support in the opening weeks to get students off to the very best start.  Please read and let us know if you have any questions.

Belltower Assignments/Specialist Buddies

You will receive Opening Day Assignments. If you have any questions, see Chris.

Specialist Buddies -

We hope to carry on the Specialist Buddy connection throughout the year.  Specialists, please plan on attending these special events with your classroom buddy:   Belltower, Assemblies, Giving Chapel, St. Nick’s Chapel, MHCSD and Promotion Ceremony.

Budget Expenditures - See Guidelines - Budget Expenditures for notes on how to manage:

PGD Requests

Field Trips

LS Visa Usage

Reimbursements Requests

Payroll Advances

Time Sheets - We will discuss at Faculty Meeting

• Timesheets have to be done because of Health Care Reform - Federal Law
• This is a changing law and target
• This Year we will use a paper system
• Eventually we will use an electronic timesheet that is synced with payroll
• An employee can see accumulated personal, sick, vacation days on paycheck
• You will see it on your pay stubs starting this winter

Stipend Forms

If you have participated in the summer stipend program – this is the information about the payment process:

• Your stipend group/team will only need to fill out ONE follow up report
• However, EACH person will fill out the completion form
• BOTH forms are due by August 30th  - please submit the completed forms to Lyn. She will compile them for David to review and approve.
• Summer Stipend payment will show up on your October 1st payroll

Note: if you need extra summer stipend forms, you may obtain them in the “Forms” folder in the “LS Important Docs” in your google drive.

Fire Marshal

Keep the following requirements in mind as you set up your classroom and display spaces:

Paper displays in hallways:

• Limit displays to 40 square feet with a break of 3 feet between displays.
• Limit displays to 20% of the hallway wall area.
• Classroom doors may not be covered with paper

Extension cords:

Only UL-approved power strips with circuit breakers are allowed

They must be plugged directly into an outlet—“daisy-chaining” power strips is not permitted.

Calendars

You are all editors of the  Faculty Events Calendar.  

Faculty Meeting Schedule

Please note that faculty meetings are scheduled for Monday afternoon, 3:15 - 4:45pm and Thursday mornings, 7:30 - 8:30am.  Plan on being available for meetings at these times each week. The schedule of meetings is in the LS Faculty Events Calendar.

   

Uniforms

With the start of the new uniform policy, it will be important that we all enforce the policy.  Become familiar with the Uniform Policy.  

• Only uniform wear may be worn in the classroom
• Outerwear worn outside at recess does not have to be uniform wear

Proposed consequences:

1st violation - talk with child. Note home

2nd violation - send to Office to get uniform from Rm. 10. Note home.

3rd Violation - send to office for uniform.  Letter home from Office.

Unwanted Stuff

Bill Peoples and crew will do a final removal of unwanted stuff from the LS rooms and hallways at 9:00 am on Friday morning.  Clearly mark all items to be taken away.  Items put out in the hallway after 9:00 am may not be taken away before Open Classroom day.

Opening Week Schedule

Monday, August 26

8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.         Department Chairs

5:00 p.m.                          Opening All Faculty and Staff Family Barbeque at OES

Tuesday, August 27           

8:00 a.m.                          Continental Breakfast (Dining Hall)

9:00 a.m.                          All Faculty and Staff Opening Chapel (Chapel)

10:00 a.m.– 12:00              Intercultural Competence Training*  

12:00 p.m.                        All Faculty and Staff Lunch (Dining Hall)

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.         Intercultural Competence Training continues

Wednesday, August 28

8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.          Divisional Faculty Meetings

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.        All Faculty and Staff Meeting

Thursday, August 29

All Day                            Middle School Retreat

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.       LS/US Faculty Meetings

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.         LS/US Work Session

Friday, August 30

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.       Teacher Work Session/Middle School Retreat

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.         Department Meetings

LS Weekly Memo Week 1: August 19-23

Welcome back.  Pace yourself as there is a lot here.  And look for more next week.

LS Weekly Memo Blog

Just to remind you, the Weekly Memo is regularly updated on the LS Weekly Memo Blog. The blog contains the Weekly Memo, the LS Faculty Calendar and several more useful resources.  The LS Faculty Calendar will be updated by August 23.  If you have changed significant dates during your work this summer, be sure you have entered the changes into the calendar by the end of the day August 22.

Room Access

With tremendous appreciation to the custodial crew for all their work in the rooms, and great thanks to Joan Lowe for ending the summer programs in Lower School early, classroom teachers have access to their rooms as of today, August 16.  Specialist Teachers, check in with Bill Peoples about when your room will be camp free and clean.

Calendars

We are making a renewed effort to ensure that the calendars you rely on are accurate and up to date.  Lyn will be responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the OES School Calendar, the all school parent calendar located on the OES Website. Chris O’Toole will be overseeing the LS Faculty Calendar, the Google calendar that is on each classroom teacher’s website and in the Weekly Memo Blog.  Grade level teams and specialists are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their events on both calendars.

New Faculty Orientation Week - August 19-21

See communications from Karen Seder for details.

Opening of School Calendar

See 8/16 email from Mo Copeland for details.

Additional Information Coming

Lyn will be sending out an email with the following information attached:

• Schedules
• Duty schedule
• Class lists

COMMUNITY

New Faculty and Staff

Please welcome our new Spanish teacher, Lisset O’Neill. Lisset comes to us from the Bay area with experience teaching Spanish and art from Kindergarten through 8th grade. She is thrilled to be taking on this new teaching challenge. Look for a new Spanish Galleria in the Lower School.

Meredith Kruse joins the Beginning School team as Colesie and Lauren’s Assistant Teacher. Pre-Kindergarten enrollment is up by one this year. With a class of 19 students we have hired a full-time assistant teacher to support Colesie and Lauren.  Meredith is passionate about science and art education and is looking forward to working with our dynamic Pre-K duo.

Donna Komitor is the new Assistant Teacher in Deborah’s Kindergarten classroom.  Donna has a background in early childhood education with a specialization in Special Education.  Donna and Deborah are already getting in synch for the new year.  

Additional Faculty and Staff News

Kiah Johnson Mounsey

As you may have heard, Kiah and AJ welcomed baby Kingston into their family in July.  Kathie Kimmy will step in as a long-term sub for the first semester. Kiah returns in January, after the close of the first semester.

Kristen Haferbecker

Kristen will go on her maternity leave this fall. Dave Hall, former Music Together teacher and Assistant Teacher extraordinaire, will fill in for Kristen while she is away.

Angela Hancock

Angela is back from her sabbatical resuming her Technology Coordination responsibilities.

Jenny Futrell

Jenny has changed her name to Jenny Futrell.  Students will refer to her as Ms. Futrell.

PROGRAM

Opening Faculty Meetings

I am still working on the agenda of our LS opening meetings on August 28 and 29.  We will spend some time sharing about professional growth and development experiences and renewing our commitment to the 1st Six Weeks of School program (so take a moment to review the book and your practices). We will also have a 2 hour session with THA and the Building Committee to learn about progress on the Lower School Building design.

Classroom Schedules (see email from Lyn)

David made a few revisions to the schedule, based on requests. The main revision is the removal of passing time between specialist classes, lunch, recess and Chapel.   Special classes are now in 30, 45 and 60-minute blocks.  Specialists and classroom teachers will need to work on punctual drop off and pick up routines.

Before making any changes to the classroom schedules talk with David and then report the changes to Lyn. Only Lyn will make changes to the schedule to ensure we can accurately account for everyone during the school day.

Duty Schedule (See email from Lyn)

Chris made very few revisions to the duty schedule.  She attempted to honor people’s preferences, coordinate duties with teaching schedules and provide collaborative team time during lunch, while at the same time ensuring equitable distribution of duties.  

Before making any changes to the duty schedules talk with Chris and then report the changes to Lyn. Only Lyn will make changes to the schedule to ensure we can accurately account for everyone during the school day.

Class Lists and Letters to Families

As usual, we had changes to class lists  over the summer.  If you have any questions about changes please let us know.  Families will receive class lists the afternoon of Friday, August 23rd.  

Student Letters

You can send out letters to students and families after next Friday. If you send a letter via the mail, please be sure to send out communication no later than Wednesday, August 28th. We want to be sure students and their families receive their letters before the holiday weekend. Jenny will have mailing labels in your boxes by the afternoon of Tuesday, August 27th. It is really helpful to have grade level teams send out all communication at the same time to prevent student and parent worry.

LS Weekly Memo Week 41: June 17-21

Thank you for your contributions to a great closing meeting. I am honored to work with such thoughtful, committed and caring faculty and staff.  Next year we will remember the tissues.

COMMUNITY

Final Meetings

Monday, 6-17-13 in DVR

LS Faculty, 10:00 - Noon - Looking AHead

LS Faculty, 1:30 - 3:00 - LS Building

Tuesday, 6-18-13 in Chapel

AS Closing Chapel and Meeting, 11:00

AS Closing Luncheon, 12:00

Awards and Recognitions

Wednesday, 6-19-13

PCR Closes to comments @ 8:00 am

PROGRAM

Faculty Meeting Agenda

• End of Year Faculty Meeting

Looking Ahead to 2013-14

• 10:00  Plans and Goals
• 11:00  LS events
• 12:00  Lunch
• 1:30   Lower School Building with THA
• 3:00   End

• Summer Stipends
• Let Lyn know the dates you will be working
• clarify questions with David before leave
• Consider Initiatives, plans and goals as plan for stipends

OPERATIONS

Room Cleaning

• If your room is being used for summer camp
• Clear surfaces and walls
• Secure materials in closet or behind paper
• Lock up valuable
• If room is not being used for summer programs
• Clear surfaces for cleaning
• Secure valuables in lockable cabinet

LS Administration and Office

David will be away at a conference, June 24-26.

Chris will be away ata conference , June 27 - 28.

The Lower School office is open 8:00 - 4:00 through June and reopens on August 5th.

Have a great summer.