Week 38

 

Hey Team...Happy Sunday!

Can you believe it....we are in the final stretch! Only two weeks to go! This school year has been unbelievable and remarkable in so many ways, and I have to say again how proud I am of all of you. You all have persevered through so much this year, not just professionally, but also personally. I want to thank you all for everything that you have done and given to make this school year as positive and successful as it could be. I continue to stand in awe of each of you and it has been a true pleasure to work with each of you. I plan for this to be my last blog of the year and I want you all to know how special each of you are to me.  I appreciate you so very much!

All of the important end of the year info is in last week's blog. Please refer to it for particulars.

Chromebook Collection

Remember...this week is our chrome book collection. Please continue to send reminders to your parents that this is mandatory. I will see you all on your specifically designated day (see last weeks Blog) at 11:00am. If you know of a family who will not be in town, please reach out to Mr. P to see how he would like it handled. If we need to keep a chrome book because it is damaged, parents can pick it up once it's repaired. That pick-up date will be June 15th from 9:00-12:00. Be sure to dress comfortably, I hear it's going to be hot!  Also, make sure you bring your meals as these will be long days. 

Postcards

When you come in on your day for Chromebook collection, see me, as I will be giving you postcards that we will send home to your students in the summer. Please write each student a generic note and sign it. We are doing this as a way to keep our families engaged over the summer. These postcards are due back to me by Friday, June 18th. Some examples of messaging could include but are not limited to: 

• I hope you're having a great summer and working on your summer learning book! I look forward to seeing you in September.
• I can't wait to have you  in my class this fall! Enjoy your summer!
• I hope you're doing well! I can't wait to hear all about your summer when I see you in the fall. I'm looking forward to a great school year together.

Please feel free to come up with whatever messaging you'd like. If you are not returning to your position next school year, please write out the cards without your personal signature. See me for how to sign the cards. Thanks!

Mentoring

For all of the mentors on the team, please make sure your mentoring logs are complete. 

Last Day of School

On the last day of school, we plan to have a cookout! You all know how important food is to Laurus! 😂 We are all working from school that day. Please remember to turn in your ipad to me and be sure that your classrooms are summer ready (refer to the previous blog). 

Please don't leave! But if you must...

I don't want any of you to leave our team. I do however realize that some of you may be looking elsewhere. If you decide to make any moves for the next school year, please let me know as soon as you know. You will still get paid over the summer as long as you worked the last day of school. Historically, we typically find better quality candidates earlier in the summer. So if you know early on, it would be in the best interest of the students to let me know right away. Thanks!

News to Know

6/10 Board Meeting at 6:00pm

I know I'm a bit early in wishing you this, but I do hope you have the most peaceful and fun summer with the ones you love. You deserve it! Thank you all for making this another successful school year! Love ya'll so much!!!!

Week 37

 

Hi Team! 

I am sending out my Blog a bit earlier so that you have the information that you need prior to the start of the holiday weekend.  I hope that you all enjoy your long weekend...heaven knows you deserve it and so much more!   

End of the Year Info

Always lots of end of the year information/reminders.  Not all may apply to you, but I did want to keep you in the loop, so here goes:

• Class Lists- Gen Ed teachers are doing one honors and two mixed ability groups for next year. If you have recommendations for student placement (SPED), please use the data you have to make your placement recommendations along with what you have seen from the students in your class and share your recommendations with the grade level teams.  They, along with their Dean, will take it under advisement as they prepare and submit class lists. 
• As you know, Chromebook drop off has become Chromebook check in. The students will come to get their summer learning packets and check in their chromebook. They will be leaving with a chromebook that day as long as its not a white dot and their original is in working order. Please help us communicate that to parents correctly. 
• Chromebook Information:  
• Drop off for 8th grade- June 7th   (8th Grade Team with Angi Covers)
• Check in for 6th & 7th- June 8th.  (6/7 Teachers, Angi and Justin covers)
• Check in for 3-5 - June 9 (3-5 Teachers and Monique covers)
• Check In for K-2 - June 10 (K-2 and Allison covers)
• Open Check in - June 11 (Specials, Social Work, Speech and  Reading Specialist to cover).  This will occur from 10-12.  Please plan to be at the school by 9:00 am.
• All Deans and Admin will be covering each of the 5 days

        Staff reports, Monday - Thursday, at 11am and the collection runs until 6pm. Please         plan accordingly. We need all hands on deck and cannot accommodate any late              arrivals or leaving early. 

• Student Instruction:  This will continue up until the last day of school. No small groups the week of June 14th. The week of June 14th will be whole group only.
• 8th grade and Kindergarten- we do still need to carry on with instruction along with check ins each day up until the 16th. 
• AIMSWeb Benchmarking (Sped and Intervention) - this must be completed by Friday, June 11th.
• Grade Book closes for last grade input on June 4th.  That way you will have plenty of time to get your grades ready for Report Cards.  Please try to have these done by Friday, June 11, so that the Grade Level Teachers are not waiting on us.
• Sped and Reading Specialist Progress Reports - These need to be completed by June 11 as well.  Please send these to the Classroom Teachers by Monday, June 14, so they can accompany the Report Cards home.
• CA60s- Must be completed during the week of June 14th.  These will be completed by Classroom Teachers.  Please make sure that your Attendance is up to date, printed off, and filed. You cannot do it during your designated chromebook collection hours.
• Special Education Service - Direct Student Service will end on June 4th so that you have time to complete your required end of year documentation.  Remember, we have two years to complete due to last year's pandemic.  You will need to plan on being in the building to complete this work.  Also, please plan to provide 2 sessions of "as needed" Office Hours each day after (one hour in the AM/one hour in the PM). As such, you will need to let your students and families know that you will only be available during those hours for "as needed" support.  This applies to Resource Room, Social Work, Speech, OT, PT.  Ms. McKenzie...you will continue to support your student on a daily basis through June 18th.  
• Staff in building work day- June 18th- You must work from the building this day. There are no exceptions or accommodations on this either so plan accordingly. Keys & ipads due. Do not try to turn in earlier please
• Closing your classrooms- Everything comes off the walls. Bulletin boards in classrooms can stay up. Bulletin Boards in hallways must stay up and be neat for the purpose of summer tours in the building. 

Report Back Dates in August

All staff returns in person on Tuesday, August 24th. PD will be from August 24th-27th & August 30th-September 2nd. 

Week 36

 

Spring Professional Development

On Monday, May 24th, we will have our Spring Professional Development. Please report to school by 8:45. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The schedule will be as follows:

• 8:45- BREAKFAST
• 9:00-:Mr P: Tech-NHA Tech Model
• 9-30:Mrs. J. Johnson- Social and Emotional Learning (Afterwards a brief announcement from D. Campbell and S. Fares)
• 10:00-12:00: Bridges Intevention with Emily (All paras and interventionists will attend)
• 10:00-12:00: Assigned asynchronous modules for teachers in preparation for wing meetings.  Sped...attend your Grade Level Wing Meetings
• 12:00-1:00: LUNCH
• 1:00-3:00 Wing Meetings  Sped attend your grade level Wing Meetings
• 3:00: Brief meeting for summer school teachers

The Spring PD modules are available on Oncourse. Just click on the banner in Oncouse.

Chromebook Collection

On the week on June 7th, we will begin chromebook collection. Each day of that week, grade levels are assigned a day to come to the school and turn in their chromebook. The schedule is as follows:

• Mon 6/7: 8th grade from 12:00-6:00
• Tues 6/8: 6th and 7th grade from 12:00-6:00
• Wed 6/9: 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade from 12:00-6:00
• Thurs 6/10: K-2nd grade from 12:00-6:00
• Fri 6/11: Last chance chromebook drop off from 10:00-2:00

Students will also receive a summer packet when they turn in their chromebook. You are expected to be at the school on your assigned days to assist with chromebook collection. Please adjust your schedules accordingly. 

Summer School

For those teachers that are participating in summer school please note that the coordinators of summer school are Ms. Adams, Mr. Bynum, and Mrs. Cooper. You can forward any questions to them. However, for planning purposes here is a brief overview. 

Summer school is all virtual. Your will cover 90 minutes of ELA and 90 minutes of math. Your focus will be the priority standards which you recieved earlier in the year. It would be a good idea to use the tracker that was given as well. In addition to teaching the priority standards, you will utilize the Lexia and Dreambox digital tools as well.  Please note that the enrichment portion has been eliminated from the schedule. Since all students are recieving a summer packet, you may incorporate that in your learning as well. 

Week 35

 

Hello Team...Happy Monday! We are entering the final countdown....we are almost there! Five weeks to go! Just hang in there. We can do this!!!!

Spring Professional Development

Our spring PD will be held on Monday, May 24th. We will meet in person for the learning sessions. Topics of discussion will include:  Ed Tech; Social Emotional training, our writing curriculum, and implementing Bridges Number Corners. If you would like to get an early start on the Spring Learning modules, you can find them on the front page of  Oncourse. There are quite a few modules but feel free to start if you'd like. Please let me know if you need help getting started.

4th grade M-Step Testing

This week, 4th graders will be taking the M-Step test. Your students who do not come to test will receive asynchronous work for the day. Let's Go 4th Grade!!!

6th grade M-Step Testing

Sixth Grade will test next week.  Parent Information and the survey will be sent out today.  Please follow up with your families to encourage them to complete the survey.

03's and Grade Level Team Meetings

03's will be on an "as needed" basis.  I will let you know about GLT's.  

News to Know

Mon. 5/24: Spring Professional Development Day

Mon. 5/31:  Memorial Day Holiday...No School

Week 34

 

Happy Mother's Day to everyone on the team....whether you are a mother, have a mother, mother-in-law, nurture like a mother...etc.  I hope that you all had a great weekend and are ready for a wonderful week!

End of the Year Evaluations

Your end of the year evaluations have been completed. I plan to go over them with you during our O3's this week. After we meet, please send me an email of confirmation that you have received it. 

Specials

Please remember to print off your attendance and turn it in.  If you are working remote, please send it to me so that I can do this for you.

Special Ed

We DO have a team meeting this Wednesday, 5/12 at 8:40 am.

Dream Box

This week, we have training on Dream Box training on Wednesday from 3:45-4:45. Please make sure you have registered for the training. 

Progress Reports

This Friday, progress reports go home. Please make sure your grades are in on time and progress reports go out in a timely manner.

Friday, 5/14

I am out on this day.  No Specials Team Meeting; Evie I will reschedule your 03.

News to Know

Mon-Tues, 5/10-11:  7th Grade MSTEP and 6th Grade NWEA

Wednesday 5/12: Dreambox Training 3:45-4:45

Thursday 5/13: Board Meeting @ 6:00pm

Friday 5/14: Early Release at 1:30, Progress reports go home (Gen Ed teachers only)

Sat 3/15: SILVA'S WEDDING!!!!

Week 33

 

Good Morning!...Happy May and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Words cannot fully express how much each of you mean to me...you share so much of yourself to make our students lives better...you share yourself and your knowledge with your team (and me!) ...which makes all of us better.  

You are the most amazing, heroic group of teachers. You have persevered though the most difficult times and I am in awe of you! THANK YOU!!!!

Testing This Week

NWEA - 4th Grade

MSTEP - 5th Grade

Next Week  -

NWEA - 6th Grade

MSTEP - 7th Grade 

Dream Box Training

Make sure that you have registered for the Dream Box Training (our Math digital tool). Ms. Boyer sent an email a couple of weeks ago. Please register for the May 12th training from 3:45-4:45.

News to Know

Due to testing, O3's and Team Meetings are as needed this week. Please reach out if you need anything

Wednesday: Staff Meeting at 3:30 pm

Friday:  Reading Mastery and Corrective Reading PD #3. Please complete the training modules for this PD.

            RM - 10:00-11:00

            CR - 11:00 - 12:00

Week 32

 

Happy Monday Everyone...hope you all had a nice, restful weekend!  We have a busy week ahead...so here goes...

Intent to Return 

Please complete the Intent to Return form that Mrs. Dwyer emailed. We need to know who is planning to return to work at Laurus next year. This helps us to plan for staffing. Please fill out the form by end of day Monday (today). Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZUEqNRtdzKtxZ5Oz6Ndv-pNQJCL2p9FTmP4xrqxtI-6AhDA/viewform

Testing

This week:

8th graders will be in the building to take the PSAT and MSTEP on Tuesday and Wednesday.  

7th graders will be taking the ELA and Math NWEA test. 

Next Week:

5th graders will be in the building on Monday through Wednesday to take their MSTEP.  

4th graders will be taking the ELA and Math NWEA test.

Intervention

On Friday, April 30th, the Interventionists will be having part 2 of their Reading Mastery/Corrective Reading training.  There is a time change for Reading Master, for this week only.  

RM PD - 4/30  9:00-10:00 am

CR PD - 4/30  11:00 am - 12:00 pm 

News to Know

O3's and Grade Level Team Meetings: CANCELED...I will just be available if you need me.