April 4, 2008

ITBS Week – Thank you for all your hard work getting our students ready for testing next week (both mentally and academically)! I enjoyed going into each classroom to do goal setting and know the students are serious about trying their best. Our short assembly next Monday afternoon will be a fun way to kick off the testing week!

Network/Phone Work – Please make sure you have read Bob Deter’s email regarding upcoming network and phone work/installation. All teachers should take time this weekend or next week to go through the online training for your new phone. Your team may want to do the training together or in pairs. All staff members will have voice mail and need to know how to access it. If you have questions, please let us know. To access the online training, go to: http://www.newvisioncommunications.com/training/RedOak/index.htm

Interviews – Interviews for the BD room had been mentioned in a previous email & I was asked the question, “What for?” I am sorry for not giving the entire story to everyone. J Next year, Lorie’s role will be to serve 4th & 5th grade Level I students and Connie will move to serving 4th & 5th grade Level II & III students. We will continue serving 4th-8th grade students who need additional help and support in order to be successful in the regular classroom at Washington (BD room). This is the position we are trying to fill at this point. One interview today and one next week.

Budget – Stephanie and I met this week and we are on track with our building budget (which includes copying cost). I would need any remaining 2007-08 purchases to our office by Friday, May 2nd. More detailed information about this year’s budget progress and the 2008-09 summer deadline to come in the next couple weeks.

School Board Meeting is scheduled for April 14, at 6:30 P.M.

Teacher Quality Committee met on Wednesday, April 2, at 4:00 P.M. Summer professional development for the TQC, the calendar and planning the pre-2008-09 school year professional development days were part of the discussion. Minutes will be available in the near future.

National Library Week is the week of April 14 and the theme this year is, Join the Circle of Knowledge. Jan has been planning a great even for April 18. Notes will be going home with students today and Jan & three of our very own will visit KCSI on Monday at 6:15 AM.

Flexibility – Working at Washington is great because we have such a flexible staff! A recent example comes from Kaiser, Lamb, Subbert, Petty & Schwartz’s flexibility and work to move offices to accommodate the lunchroom concerns. Mrs. Kaiser gave up a majority of her spring break to make it happen!! This is just another example of the family attitude at WIS….thanks!

WEBSITE – Please look for ways to tie in student writing tasks/assignments to projects that can be posted on the website. You all do units or projects in your class on a weekly basis that students can share through the writing process. If you need ideas, let me know. A prize will go to the first classroom who supplies three articles for the website about their class, our school or community.

You get the best efforts from others not by lighting

a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.

- Bob Nelson

He who laughs, lasts – DB