LS Weekly Memo
Weekly Memo Week 23, January 12-16, 2015
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What a week it was, returning for the New Year, closing out the week with Jenny’s farewell Chapel. The Chapel was truly moving, to feel the huge impact Jenny’s generous, loving, good humored spirit had on all of us. She will be missed. A very special thanks to Jenny Cleveland for putting together that special Chapel. There were many of you out there who had a hand in making this week a special departure for Jenny, our thanks to all of you. It was another one of those moments when we felt blessed to be a part of this amazing learning community.
COMMUNITY
John Medina - Brain Rules
Monday we welcome John Medina to campus for presentations to employees and community members.
3:15 - 4:30 pm - All School Employee Meeting, Dining Hall
US Helpers
Every Wednesday, 10:20-10:50, beginning Wednesday, January 14 (note that this is only half an hour & adjust your expectations accordingly!)
Every Thursday, 10:50-11:50, beginning Thursday, January 8
If you can use student help during those hours, please email Robin at least a day ahead of time, and give the location, the job description, and the number of students needed. Please keep the same subject line as this message so I can find your requests.
Remember, the idea is to HELP you if you need help. If you don’t need student hands, you do NOT need to email me and apologize for not employing them!
Robin Schauffler, schaufflerr@oes.edu
US Service-Learning Coordinator
(503)416-9308
SS Aardvark
We understand that many children were disheartened to see that our dear boat was removed from Aardvark Community Park. As its condition declined it became a safety concern. Maintenance is looking for a replacement.
Plans for 2015-16
Please let David know if you have plans to pursue other professional opportunities for the 2015-16 school year. He will begin the hiring process shortly after the break.
Students Bringing in Food from Home
Please email Elaine Elliott, school nurse, if you have a student who is bringing in food from home. We want to be sure to have an accurate record of students and that parents are well aware of the food practices they need to follow. Going forward we will ask parents to request permission from the nurse and Head of Lower School for their child to bring in food. We have had two recent incidents of students bringing nuts to school.
Admissions Information Night
Our thanks to all who participated. We had a strong visitor turn out!
Parent Winter Coffee
We begin our next round of coffees.
Beginning School Tues., Jan. 13th
First and Second Grade Tues., Jan. 20th
Third through Fifth Grade Tues., Feb., 3rd
Check with team leaders on agenda and who will participate. If you are asked to participate, please find someone to cover your class. If you have trouble finding someone, let Chris know.
SST Support in the New Year
As you are conducting assessments and preparing to write reports, reach out to SST as needed.
Student Who Needs Extra Support
4th gr - Sophia M - returned this week after an extended leave. She is adjusting to her return to school and we are working with her family and support network on the transition. At SST on Monday we will review plans and update you.
5th gr - Peter G - writing and self reflection are very difficult for Peter, requiring teacher support
2nd gr - Ben K - can get physical during competitive games and need help cooling down
Mandatory Reporting
As employees of the school, we are all mandatory reporters of child abuse. While we have not had our formal training this year, we have a clear policy. See p 29 in the Employee Handbook for details.
Supervision of Students in Chapel
- Maintain supervision of students during transition.
- 4th and 5th grade students need to walk to and from Chapel and set a good example
- Students who choose not to pray or sing are choosing to quietly observe
First Assembly of the New Year- MLK Remembrance, Fri., Jan. 16th
Thanks to Fourth Grade for planning a meaningful gathering for us all.
PROGRAM
Faculty Meetings
- Monday, Jan 12 - 3:15, OES Dining Hall - All Employee Meeting w/ guest John Medina
- Thursday, Jan 15 - 7:40 - LS Art Room - LS Meeting - Admissions Day Prep
Lower School Curriculum Task Force
Meeting has been moved from Jan. 7th to Thurs., Jan. 15th. We will focus on our writer’s workshop practices. Talk about this with your grade level team when you return so you can be prepared when we gather the following week. LSCTF members - see Guiding Questions document.
Assistant Teachers Meeting
We planned to meet on Wed., Jan. 21st, but had to move the meeting to Wed., Jan. 28th. We’ll discuss Assistant’s roles in the second half of the year and give an update on our potential move to temporary spaces.
Lower School Building
I touched base with all classroom teachers at the Team Meetings on Thursday about the new LS Building. As the fundraising goes into a more public phase I want everyone to be excited about what the new building will provide for us.
We are right on target with the fundraising. Ultimately, the Board will decide on April 21st whether we break ground in May or wait another year. You enthusiasm about the project will help get us to the $16.5 M goal. Please see David if you want to discuss or if you have questions.
Report Cards
Angela has created a Google Doc with every child’s name listed in alphabetical order by homeroom and put them in the shared document where she keeps all Report Card Help files. To get to the folder of student names click on this link: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4o439XWoXmcMXJoNVV3MmdXNHc&usp=sharing
Report Card Timeline
•First half of reports to be sent to peer editors, Friday, Jan. 24th
•Second half of reports submitted to peer editors, Monday, Jan. 27th
•Revisions, corrections made Jan. 28th-Feb. 3rd
•Uploaded to PCR by 8am, Wednesday, Feb. 4th
Admissions Day, Friday 1/30, 7:30-4
•For Kindergarten, Primary/First Grade Classroom Visits
•2nd-5th Grade Testing
•All Expected to attend
Pre-K Admissions Day, Saturday 2/7, 7:30-4:30
•Two, possibly three, sessions
•Colesie, Lauren, Kristen, Melanie, Chris and assigned volunteers (TBD), will observe our candidates
David Loitz
David will be available as a super substitute on Fridays starting in January. Subbing will take priority over projects. If requesting release time please plan on using Fridays. When not needed as a substitute David will be available for special projects.
Team Leaders - Topics Discussed 12/15
- Report card timing
- Admissions File Reading
- Coffee planning
- David Loitz projects
I have received two significant requests for PGD funds for national workshops. If any of you are thinking of national conferences, let me know by Friday. I need to work on budgeting for these requests.
Oregon History Event
Looks like a terrific offering (plus McMenamins!) about Portland, Vanport and the Great Migration next Tuesday at the Kennedy School. There is also an accompanying exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society beginning on February 1st.
OPERATIONS
NEED A SUBSTITUTE OR A DAY OFF?
Calling in sick? Contact Miriam--520-250-1497
- In the evening: If you know the night before, please text or call Miriam (never email) before 8:00pm so she can call around for a sub until 9:00pm (IDEAL!!) Please do not text or call her after 10:00pm.
- In the morning: Please text or call , do not email. Please text or call her between 5:45-6:15am, whenever possible.
- If you do not connect with Miriam by 6:30am, please call David at home – 503.384.0578 (not ideal.)
- Specialists and Assistant Teachers: Please indicate in your message the start and end time. Typically ½ hour before your first class starts and then however long after your last class (duty?).
Update on Substitutes
This is the first year that we are having difficulty recruiting substitute teachers. It is a highly competitive market, with the public schools paying substantially more, even offering benefits to popular busy substitutes. Chris will be interviewing a few that responded to recent job postings.
Fire Drills and Earthquake Duck and Cover/Evacuation Drills
Remember to remind students that in the new year emergency drills are going to come when they least expect them- when they are outside, in the classroom, in Chapel, etc. Take a moment next week to review expectations for all drills with your students.
Supervision of Children Transitioning to Special Classes
Before the break I received some reports from faculty about students transitioning between classes unsupervised. Review supervision plans for students between classes with classroom and specialist teachers.
Drop Off in the Morning
Please send out a friendly reminder to your families that supervision for children begins at 7:30. This past week we had a parent drop children off at 7:15 and drive away. Luckily Paula intervened and got the children into the building.
Tardy Students
If you have chronically tardy students, please be sure to remind parents in progress report narrative the importance of being on time.
Let David or Chris know if there are excessive tardy arrivals and absences.
Food Handler’s License
Do you prepare sandwiches for children? Do your parent volunteers prepare sandwiches for children? If the answers are “yes,” you should have a Food Handler’s License issued through Washington County. FH licenses can be obtained on-line for a $10 fee. Submit FH License receipts to Lyn for reimbursement. Parents will need to obtain their own FH License.
Extra hours for Teaching Assistants
David need to pre-approve extra hours for teaching assistants to ensure we stay within budget.
Safety Reminder
Heidi is the LS Representative for the Safety Committee. Send her a quick note when you have any safety concerns or near-accidents. The Safety Committee wants to know about potential safety hazards so they can work to prevent injuries. If you have any kind of injury at school please fill out an incident form (located in the form organizer by David’s office).
Lunch Planning - 1st - 3rd Grades
1st and 2nd grade
- Students dismissed by table by grade level - 1st grade goes down 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd
- Students line up in dining hall
- Dismissing teacher guides students to stairs and stays at top of stairs to monitor
- Students walk down steps in single file holding the railing
- Students wait at bench outside for everyone to get down the stairs
- Dismissing teacher walks group down to recess and has children go down recess stairs single file.
3rd grade
- students dismissed at 11:20, table by table
- students must clear/ clean table before being dismissed
- Duty teacher takes time between each table to prevent pile up of students at bussing stations
- students walk down to recess
- Duty teacher in dining hall ensures all 1st - 3rd students have gone to recess before going off duty
- Duty teacher on covered walkway corner supervises walking/ skipping down to recess. Students who run will be asked to walk back up to US building or top of walkway and walk.
5th graders
How can the 5th graders help set the example in community and transition times: between classes, recess and lunch? Younger students are looking to them to help show the way.
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.
