Feb 2016 Post

Welcome to Feb 2016!  Hard to believe it's Feb and time is zooming by for the 15-16 school year.

Last week we had the 100th day of school!  It was fun to walk around K and 1 world and see all the 100th day activities!

Snow Days

I hope everyone enjoyed their snow days a couple of weekends ago (and this weekend we had shorts on).  I have to admit.....I am like the kids when it comes to snow days and the excitement it brings.  I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable weekend....

We had a very smooth dismissal on the snow day Friday.  Thank you for being patient on days like this.  It really helps keep the students calm and focused when we are leading them in a calm and focused manner. Thank you!

E-Learning on Snow Days.......could we be doing this in the future??  (An article I saw on Twitter over the weekend).  A couple of Alabama school systems are highlighted in the article.  Good read.

Dismissal times

Everything is going great with afternoon dismissals.  Thank you for taking care of our kids.  Please talk to your homeroom classroom about walking to the bus.  We still have a few scattered runners in the afternoons.

Just a reminder - no one should be leaving their classroom early to line up.  Everyone should be in their rooms until the bell rings.  I am fine with classes lining up after the 1st bell.

Thanks!

Construction update:

As you can see (and hear) construction on our new building is really starting to pick up speed.  The awning has been removed and a lot of the pavement has been bulldozed up.

We are planning to have a groundbreaking ceremony in the very near future.

Also, the storm shelter is back in the plans for the CES building addition.  FEMA finally responded to our plans.  The amount of funds allocated have doubled from their original grant allotment of $400,000 to just a little over $800,000!!  We are in hopes we can now use the additional funding to help us pay for the storm shelter alternate plan with the construction company.  We had a very lengthy meeting last week to discuss this.  Hopefully we will have some good news soon.

***CLICK HERE*** Construction Pics! 

Tech Tuesdays

I am very excited our Tech Coaches are offering Tech Tuesdays again this semester.  Please refer to the emails from Mrs. Preston concerning visiting with the Tech Coaches during your plan times.

Feb 24 - Half Day PD

Agenda:

(1st - 5th) Data Meetings - 30 min
(1st - 5th) Technology PD with Tech Coaches - 30 min
K -  Data + Sounds Sensible training with Mrs. Hilbert - 60 min
K-5 - Grade level meetings - 30 min

We will send out a schedule soon.

Happy Birthdays for FEB

2/3 - Mrs. Poff
2/6 - Mrs. Wilbanks
2/15 - Mrs. Whiteside
2/16 - Mrs. Thomas
2/18 - Mrs. Griffin
2/19 - Ms. Wynkoop
2/22 - Mrs. Hill

CES Birthday Calendar

Important Dates:

02/01 - PTO Meeting today @ 4:00 in the lunchroom
02/02 - Faculty meeting
02/15 - President's Day - No School
02/24 - 1/2 Day - PD @ CES
03/19-27 - Spring Break!

Dates for the rest of the year (work in progress)

Movies in classrooms - FYI - Movies should be for educational purposes during instructional times.  

The CO sent this out as a reminder to every school.  I thought it would be easier just to copy this and put it here.

Just a reminder that we need to closely monitor what movies and videos are shown in classrooms.  Obviously, the most important issue is whether we are using instructional time wisely.  However, there are many other issues that come into play here.  Legally, teachers can show movies in their classrooms for educational purposes, but this is defined by the concept of "fair use."  I'm putting a link below to an article from Edutopia regarding fair use, but I pulled out a quote to highlight:

Fair use in the classroom is often dependent on the subject matter of the content. Ensign says a teacher may not be allowed to show the film The Lion King to the class simply because it was raining and the kids were squirrelly. It could be shown only if the class were doing a study of Disney films or were engaged in the study of a related subject.

http://www.edutopia.org/copyright-rules-teachers

Please reinforce to teachers that not only do we want to comply with the law, but also we must maximize every moment we have for instruction.  If you have issues with teachers not following good judgment on this subject, I would address it, document it, and follow any repeated incidents with the appropriate measures.  Your library media specialists have received training and have, no doubt, communicated this to your faculty and staff.  If you need them to do a follow-up for your faculty, I'm sure they would be willing to help.

From Move Your Bus (p 98):

Are you a Rider, Walker, Jogger or a Runner?  Or a mixture?

Final Thoughts......

How many phone calls did you make today?  This week?  In Jan?

Please continue to call parents when things arise in your classroom.  If you have a concern - call the parent.  If you are having behavior issues - call the parents.  Parents need to know and need to hear your voice and hear your concern.  Hearing your voice on the other end of the line lets parents know how much you care and strengthens your relationship between school and home.

Have a great FEB!

FM tomorrow in the lunchroom right after car line.

Today - Encourage someone........read below....a good word someone shared with me.....

Thx MS