LS Weekly Memo
LS Weekly Memo Week 26, February 22 - 26, 2016
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Get ready for a solid stretch of school, 5 days of school for each of the next 4 weeks (The week before Spring Break we have Good Friday off). Reach out to SST if you need some post conference support. Thanks for the good conversation about schedules and be sure to return your dream schedule to David by Wednesday morning. If you are interested in either assistant head position be sure to let David know by Monday.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
- The pads for the posts have been ordered for the covered area. Once they are installed we will open the covered area up.
- Jon and I are looking to coordinate faculty tours during the week of March 7. To make each tour a manageable size we will offer tours by floor group. Those without a designated space in the new building will be welcome to join either the ground floor or top floor group. Part of the point of the tours will be to get our heads around furniture. We will need to come up with a prioritized furniture list - need, wish, dream. Jon has an inventory of current furniture, both in use and in storage.
- The building continues to be on budget with an end of July projected completion date.
COMMUNITY
Jeffrey Sprague, Lower School Technology Coordinator
Please join me in congratulating Jeffrey on accepting the Lower School Technology Coordinator position.
Meredith Kruse, PreK Long Term Substitute Teacher
Please join me in congratulating Meredith on accepting the long-term teaching substitute position in PreK. We have an offer in to a co-teacher to join Meredith in PreK.
Assistant Head Search Process
I want to include many perspectives in the search process and be sensitive to the fact that these are all internal candidates. Here is my plan for the search process.
- Associate Head of School interview
- Head of LS interview
- Search committee (5 faculty to be selected based on who is applying)
interview, scenarios
- SST interview
- Team Leaders interview
- LS Administrative Assistant interview
Rosetta Lee - Inclusivity in the Younger Years
Thursday 3/3
Presentations - Inclusivity in the Younger Years
3:30 - 4:30 pm - Lower School Faculty presentation - Inclusivity in the Younger Years
7:00 - 8:00 pm - Lower School Parent presentation - Inclusivity in the Younger Years (formal commitment)
Friday 3/4
7:30 - 3:30 workshops with LS Faculty
4 sessions with different groups of faculty, 6-12 faculty per group.
Each session could have two parts. One part focused on conversations with children. Each teacher could come with an example of a conversation/ question that came up with their students that they want to discuss how to address. The second part of the session would focus on creating a more inclusive curriculum. Each grade has curriculum design documents describing their social studies/ project units of understanding that will help orient Rosetta to our curriculum work. Groups are welcome to decide to focus on one or the other of the two topics. We will need to let Rosetta know ahead of time.
8:00 - 9:20 - Specialist Teachers (12 teachers)
9:30 - 10:50 - 2nd & 3rd grades (6 teachers)
10:50 - 11:50 - Lunch
12:00 - 1:20 - 4th and 5th grades (6 teachers)
1:30 - 2:50 - Beginning School & 1st (9 teachers)
Rosetta Lee Schedule and Sub Plans
Lyn will provide your sub information on Tuesday. Kudos to Lyn for creating a seamless, yet complex schedule. She will create individual folders with schedules and sub plans for each sub. She hopes to have all sub plans by Wednesday morning, 3/2.
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.
This was in the New York Times this past week...another point of view!
Auction Volunteers
The Auction (Aardy Goes to Hollywood: Lights, Camera, Auction!) is coming up on March 12th. Please take a few minutes to see if you are able to give some time to the event by checking VolunteerSpot: https://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/287939724066.
BDH Bathroom
Bathroom is now accessible by classroom key only.
Admissions
- David is in Admissions meetings all morning Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Chris all morning on Thursday and Friday. We have an incredible group of applicants and some challenging decisions about who to accept, including many sibling and other connected applicants.
SST Site
- You have access. See Ari if you have difficulty accessing the site.
- The information is sensitive. Use professional discretion.
- Your feedback about the site would be greatly appreciated.
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 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.
- 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.
- SS and LB- 5 TA
- L and S have had challenges of late. Please keep an eye on them and let Tina know if you experience L saying or doing any unkind things- as well, if S is doing anything to annoy L.
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
Chaperones
I meet with Trip Leaders this week to determine chaperone needs and begin figuring out who can go on which overnight. We are going to need more help than usual as we have some overlapping trips.
Upcoming Chapel Schedule and Themes
We are back to our regular Monday and Friday Chapel schedule! In honor of Black History Month, we will continue our exploration of justice by learning the story behind the hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”—often referred to as the Black National Anthem—as well as hearing a folktale from Ethiopia about forgiveness and an original midrash, or creative retelling, of a Bible story by African American writer, Julius Lester. We will celebrate February birthdays on Friday, Feb. 26.
I also wanted to thank all our Primary-5th grade classroom teachers for your help in having students decorate and bring their "alleluias" to chapel last Wednesday as well as supporting our burning of the palm fronds the Friday before. These are two wonderful traditions here, and I really enjoyed my first Ash Wednesday chapel at OES.
Scheduling Task Force - Thursday, 2/25, 7:35 - 8:35, Platt??
We will be reviewing our learnings from UCSD and faculty dream schedules so we can begin drafting schedules.
Monday, 2/22, 3:30 - 4:30 - Departments and Teams
Thursday, 2/25, 7:35 - 8:35 - Scheduling Task Force, 7:45 - 8:40 ICC Trainers
Science Displays and Tours of Science Fair
See Anna Rozzi’s email offering two different science engagement opportunities. Great to see that many classes are taking advantage of this offer.
Make Learning Visible: Inquiry and the OES Essential Competencies
Scope and Sequence and UbDs Completed by 2/29
Classroom teachers, please enter the last unit of understanding in the Social Studies Scope and Sequence spreadsheet. Your three Social Studies UbDs should be completed by then as well, including the Essential Competencies you strive for at the end of the document. See Team Leaders if you have any questions.
Optional times available to finalize these tasks
•Monday, Feb. 22nd (ICC is also meeting) after school
•Thursday, Feb. 25th (Scheduling Task Force also meeting) before school
•Monday, Feb. 29th (FLG also meeting) after school
Of course, there is your weekly lunch time Team Meetings.
OPERATIONS
Friendly Reminder About Calendar Updates
Please remember to get your important dates on the Faculty Google Calendar, and where appropriate, Anne’s All School Calendar when parents need to be notified.
Believe it or not, while there are more than 3.5 months left in the school year, the calendar is filling up quickly with special events.
Before you go on Spring Break next month, be sure to get your culminating events on the calendar(s). I will create a Google doc that lists all of these important end-of-the-year events.
I hope this type of calendar will help us all make good choices as to when we want to host a culminating event (for families, buddies and other classes), and help plan which culminating events you hope to attend with your classes.
Change in Lunch Routine
Kelly needs at least 72 hours notice if you need to change lunch plans (not eat in the dining hall, need sack lunches, etc)
Cheese Left Out Again!
Please be sure all cheese gets refrigerated asap. Technically, it should not be left out longer than four hours.
Rainy Mud Season at Aardvark Community Park- A few things to keep in mind
- Designated Excavation Area
- Children Must Have Some Type of Footwear on At All Times
- Excavation Tools Cleaned Up at the End of Recess
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.
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.
