LS Weekly Memo Week 4: September 9-13

Great start to the year, but who knew 3 days could be so exhausting.  I so enjoyed the transformation of faces, from initial hesitancy and uncertainty at Open Classroom to beaming smiles by the end of the day on Wednesday.  I hope you were able to rest up over the weekend in preparation for the first full week of school.

COMMUNITY

Senior Entrance

The annual entrance of the seniors will be Monday morning at 8:00. Cars are no longer part of the tradition which should make for a safer gathering. The entrance is likely appropriate for 4th and 5th graders.

Post- Recess Check-Ins, Strategies to Use in Class Meetings

Many teachers are having class meetings after recess to debrief, asking “What went well?” “What could we do better?” Jackie Blake does role playing with her students, helping them learn “scripts” on how to solve problems.  Jackie’s students are learning to make positive suggestions, instead of saying what not to do.  

We hope you all take time to talk about these important social and emotional concerns about your class meetings in the First Six Weeks.

Incident report

Thanks to those who have begun using the form. Some guidance for use:

• Err on side of overuse at the start - incidents that require your intervention that are beyond typical reminder, start fo school situations
• Form is intended to supplement conversations.  Be sure to communicate directly with classroom teacher about student concern
• Form is intended to
• help us make connections in the community
• to help us be more proactive
• to help us more effectively problem solve and strategize

New Student Check In

Please let a member of SST know if any of your new students are having a difficult transition.  

New Student Luncheon

Patti will schedule a luncheon toward the end of September or the beginning of October. Watch for dates in an upcoming Weekly Memo.

1st Chapel

Monday, Sept. 9th is our first Primary through Fifth Grade Chapel.  It has been pointed out that there is no passing time from recess to Chapel.  Younger students may need a bathroom break and a drink, then make the transition to Chapel.  Get together with your Grade Level team and come up with a plan on how you can manage this transition.

First Assembly- Friday, September 20th DEAR 8:10-8:40

Look for details from Kristen Haferbecker soon.

Upcoming Assemblies

Sept. 27--Walk For Fun

Oct. 4--Homecoming Assembly

Oct. 25--Day of the Dead Assembly

Nov. 15--DEAR  (switched from Oct. 25)

Dec. 20--St. Nick's

PROGRAM

Faculty Meeting Thursday, 9/12/13

Team Meeting - Look for agenda and meeting locations from Team Leaders

Specialist Meeting - in the LS Art Room

SST Reminder

Student Support Team meets every Monday from 9:00 - 10:00.  Teachers may schedule a visit any Thursday from 10:50 - 11:50. Contact Ari.

Wetlands

The wetlands is open for use now that 10 days have passed since the herbicide spraying.  Curious about connecting your class with the wetlands?  Check the Wetlands Blog started by the Wetlands Stipend Group.

Second Grade Boys

Two incidents cropped up this week- one group playing ball tag games that were unsafe, and First Graders chasing Second Grade boys who were referred to as “the army”  who liked to chase and wrestle. The Second Grade team worked through this at class meetings. Please keep a special eye on these boys.

Tracy worked through the ball tag issues with the participants, and in the end, they decided they would play the safer alternative of  two-finger tag.

OPERATIONS

Uniforms - Thanks for getting us off to a good start.  Let me know if you have questions or ideas from your class that you would like me discuss.

Volunteers

Volunteer Spot launches on 9/16.  If you need volunteers before then, contact your room parents.

Snack Stewardship

Please remember to contact kitchen of you do not need snack.  I will be working with Kelly to reduce our snack expenses.

Friendly Reminder: Any Events Parents Attend Must Be Listed on Anne’s All School Final Site Calendar

Please submit your field trip dates, assemblies, culminating events, plays, Informance, competitions author visits to Anne.  One important safety precaution, don’t list the location of field trips-  simply write “Kindergarten Field Trip, Primary Field Trip, etc.”

Lyn will send out an email on the “how-tos” to refresh your memory.

Recess Reminders

We wanted to give you a quick reminder to review the google doc "Recess Equipment System 2012" under the RECESS file.

Primary Children Can Play at Aardvark Community Park

Dori’s Primary friends may choose to play on ACP or the BS playground.  Please keep an eye on our two friends, Jessie and Solomon. Let Dori know directly if you needed to support either friend.

Bus Safety Training

Robbi Garvin would like to schedule bus safety training sessions for all students some time in the coming weeks. We will look at the calendar with Team Leaders and come up with some mutually agreeable dates.

Soil Testing During Week of 9/16

A soil testing crew will be on campus drilling soil samples related to the construction of the new LS Building.  At times it will be noisy and near the BS building.

LS Weekly Memo Week 3: Spetmeber 2 - 6

Thank you for your good work last week.  It was busy with trainings and workshops as you worked to prepare your classrooms and get ready for your students.  Enjoy meeting your students and parents tomorrow.

COMMUNITY

Open Classroom

8:30 -  New Family Welcome in the Chapel

9:00 - 11:00 - Open Classroom

• Be sure to provide an activity for older students to do when they stop in to visit so they have a purpose to remain in the classroom
• The custodial crew came through on Sunday.  You will need to clean-up any mess you make Monday or Tuesday before Open Classroom
• Important Forms to Be Filled Out at Open Classrooms
• Jenny will leave forms in your boxes if your student’s parents have not filled out critical forms. Forms need to be completed before Opening Day.
• Chris and David will come around at the end to announce the faculty meeting.

11:10 - LS Faculty Meeting in the LS Art Room

Check in - Appreciations and Concerns

Opening Week

Student Incident Form

Uniforms

Rosh Hashanah Begins at Sundown Wednesday Ends at Sundown on Friday

Be mindful that some faculty and staff will need to take time off to observe Rosh Hashanah.

Opening Day

• Belltower ceremony - Look for a seating plan from Phillip Craig
• See First Day of School Schedule in 8/30 email from Lyn for details
• Name Tags for All Students on Opening Day - Remember to pick up name tags in the LS office.  Jenny will have a supply stored in the closet.

Important! Classroom Teachers Meet with Room Parent Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday

Remember to meet with your room parent to talk about this year’s  volunteer opportunities. Room Parent Training is Friday, Sept. 6th. Beginning School Team, you will need to get creative with your scheduling, given that you are holding conferences in the afternoon that week.  

Parent Volunteers

As we have an increasing number of dual career families, parents are making work sacrifices to be able to volunteer.  Consider your volunteer needs carefully.  Contact volunteers ahead of time if you do not need them.

Derele Lowry – Life Transition - Statement shared at faculty meeting

Derele Lowry has made a life transition.  Derele’s gender identity is now female.  In alignment with our mission and culture, OES supports and respects Derele in this process.

Fall Parent Partnership Coffees

When you have a moment, discuss who will attend each Parent Partnership Coffee.  Click on the link below and fill in who will attend the upcoming Fall coffee.  Specialists, David and Chris may revise the lists of specialists attending these coffees. Look for an update in the coming week.

Parent Partnership Coffees 2013-2014

PROGRAM

Important Meeting for BS Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and Specialists Who Teach Primary

Tuesday from 12-12:30 in the Art Room

We will meet to discuss strategies and support systems for several students in Dori’s class.  We know BS teachers need down time before their Welcome Conferences, so we will be brief and to the point. We all need to have this information to start the school year, so thanks in advance for attending.

Classroom Website Updates

Be sure your website is updated for this year before Opening Day.

Consider:

• Posting your welcome letter
• Posting your classroom agreements once developed

Wetlands Warning

The areas around the OES wetlands are posted with a warning about Herbicide use.  Heed the warning until we get further information.

Faculty Expectations

Some questions have arisen about faculty expectations during the school year.  Let me clarify:

• Full time faculty are expected to be on campus 7:45-3:45
• Faculty are expected to be available to meet Monday afternoons, 3:15 - 4:45, when necessary
• Faculty are expected to attend Thursday morning meetings from 7:30 - 8:30 (Team leaders will be reviewing faculty meeting time.)

OPERATIONS

Summer Stipend Forms

Lyn is organizing the great number of stipend forms turned in.  Any other still out there?

Duty Help for BS and LS Teachers

Let Chris, Patti, Ari or Jenny Cleveland know when you need coverage to take a break.

Branding - Always Open

At opening meeting you were introduced to the branding roll out. I hope you enjoyed your conversation about Always Open with your table mates.  Keep in mind:

• Messaging is meant to capture our core identity
• It i smeant to be authentic, compelling and truthful
• OES has a new look as part of our branding
• We have a new style guide for communications
• When communicating with or representing OES to the public, be sure to consult with David and/or Marty Jones for guidance

New Name Badges

Visit Rebecca Williams or Robbi Garvin in Morris House if you have not recevied your new ID Badge yet.

Snack Stewardship

Snack cost LS almost $30,000 last year.  Please help manage the cost by reducing snack waste. Let the kitchen know if you will not be needing snack on a particular day.

Custodial Help

Clean up piles starting 9:00 am Friday

Final classroom clean before Open Classroom will be on Sunday

Safety Reminders

• Stranger on campus - approach or call switchboard
• AED locations - Gym, Great Hall, Church Office …
• Safety Committee - LS Representative-Heidi Hackenjos
• Fire Marshal
• No paper on doors
• No daisy chains
• Accident or emergency
• 911
• Switchboard - 502.246.7771
• Administrator on Duty - 503.784.9595
• David - 971.645.1472
• File Accident Report form

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