Happy New Year!

Welcome back!  I hope you enjoyed your break and the storm did not adversively effect your Christmas plans!  I made it back from Utah after spending a week with my entire in-law clan with only minor scratches and bruises. :)  There are a few items I need you to note before the FWR comes so please take the time to read these today.  Have a great week!

Jan 5 – Grades due by 4 pm
Jan 6 – 2 hr early dismissal (PLC - Curriculum)
Jan 7 – 1st Semeser Report cards go home
Jan 8 – End of Boxtop Contest

Skills Iowa January Reading/Math Benchmark Test Codes - Attached are your January Skills Iowa benchmark assessment codes. This is the second math benchmark this year. Please talk to me or email Jim if you have any questions. (Jim Lippold:  jlippold@ia-sb.org or 515.229.7115)

Staff Changes (Brenda & Barb) will effect most everyone so thank you in advance for your patience and open communication.  Elaine Carlson will start with us on Monday, January 4th.  She will be working 1-on-1 with a student at IPS in the mornings and be with us from 11:30 to 3:30 pm.  She will be responsible for nutrition duties from 11:30 am until around 2:00 pm. From 2:00 to 3:15 pm, she will be working with Ms. Schafer's and SPED students.  Christie Rea will be helping throughout the day when tests need read. A schedule of upcoming tests should be shared with Melissa in advance so her weekly lesson plans can reflect these tests. Letting her know minutes or hours before the test is not acceptable.  It will also be extremely important for teachers to coordinate the timing of tests so they are given at the same time.  For example, all 5th grade teachers should have their SPED and 504 students (with appropriate accomodations) taking math assessments at 10:45 am. Having one less person available to read tests will make this even more necessary.  This needs to start day one of 2nd semester.  Thank you for your attention to these details!

Gates Data - I need all classroom teachers to email their students Gates scores (NPR & GE) so I can compile grade level progress chart.  Please send it my way as soon as you have them entered (no later than the end of the week!).  Fluency scores are in the office.

 
 

He who laughs, lasts
DB

 

December 18, 2009

Gates Data - I need all classroom teachers to email their students Gates scores (NPR & GE) so I can compile grade level progress chart.  Please send it my way as soon as you have them entered.

Good luck goes to Barb Gilliland as she begins her student teaching 2nd semester within the Essex school district!  She will be back with us in late April.  Until Barb's return, we will be bringing on a combination substitute to cover special education para duties and office/nutrition duties.  At the present time, we do not have this position officially filled.  More information when we return!

Staff Changes - We are close to finalizing how we will cover Brenda's departure.  What is for sure is that Elaine Carlson will be with us for lunch and the afternoon.  She will be be taking over the nutrition duties and work within Ms. Schafer's special education program in the late afternoons.  Please welcome her to Washington Intermediate! 

Good Blog - Ran across the blog, The Blue Skunk, during my three days of "desk, desktop & driveway clearing" (i.e. snow days) and thought it was worth sharing.  Doug Johnson is the Director of Media and Technology in the Mankato Schools and his "Snow Days" blog entry is great.

From Mr. Deter - Reminders for the Holiday Break. Please take your laptops home with you. Also make sure that all electronics—printers, monitors, desktop computers, televisions, etc.—are shut down and unplugged. If you have laptops that will not be going home with you, make sure they are stored in a secure place.

Printer Update from Mrs. Burnison - Bob and I looked at the rubber rollers on the old color printer and think that’s why it won’t catch the paper anymore. We will be using the Lanier for all color.  - Thanks, Jan (aka Printer Queen)

Buildings Will Be Closed - A reminder that all district buildings, including Washington, will be closed over the holiday break (Dec 19 through Jan 3). Staff should not be in the buildings to work in an attempt to minimize energy useage.  Heat controls will be lowered to 50 ̊ throughout the down period and no lights will be use during this period of time. It is the plan to have the controls moved back to normal temps on Sunday, January 3, as it will take 18 to 24 hours to warm up the buildings for school on Monday, January 4. 

Happy Holidays - May the two week break allow you and your family the opportunity to enjoy some laughter and good cheers.  I realy have made several attempts to bring you some witty departing words for the 2009 year, but my creative juices must have been used up a week or so ago...maybe longer?!?  I'll instead refer you to last year's Twas the Night Before Christmas poem and leave the Washington-Creative-King/Queen title to our very own, Mrs. Burnison.  Why try to beat the champion, eh?  (BTW - nice job with the holiday awards! Very creative as always!)

Dates to note...
Jan 4 – Begin 2nd semester/3rd quarter
Jan 5 – Grades due by 4 pm
Jan 6 – 2 hr early dismissal (PLC - Curriculum)
Jan 7 – 1st Semeser Report cards go home
Jan 8 – End of Boxtop Contest
Jan 11 – School Board meeting (6pm @ Webster)
Jan 13 – 2 hr early dismissal (PLC - Curriculum)

Merry Christmas. 
Happy New Years!
Take care and; until next year...

He who laughs, lasts

DB

Thank you to Lisa Mann for sharing the following video with me today.  Worth the time to view it..

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.


This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.


This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50." This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

Changes with Requesting Subs

A. Sub requests made outside of school hours should be made by calling me. Please call 621-6630 first and my home number if you cannot reach me on the cell (623-4878).

B. Sub requests during the school day should be made by notifying Stephanie.

As always, the sooner you notify us for the need of a sub, the better. Thanks.

December 11, 2009

Enlarge Cartoon

Wow!  What a snow storm!  I hope all of you were safe and warm over the three day 'break.'  I'm sure many of you were able to take some amazing pictures like Linnea and many other local residents did and enjoy some extra family or alone time (whichever you needed).  :)  Hopefully this will be our major storm for the winter.   Any bets? 

Keep the Focus! - Coming off three snow days and gearing up for a "one-day Friday" will be challenging.  We know many of our students will welcome the opportunity to come back to school but some may have enjoyed another day at home!  :)  Please keep the focus on student learning and instruction today and next week.  There is still much to be accomplished and I appreciate you keeping students focused on learning and growing.  The same may go for behavior too - please continue to follow the Tiger Behavior plan and do not lower expectations of what is responsible and respectful behavior. 

Holiday Parties are set for Friday, December 18th for both 4th and 5th grade (12:20-1:10 pm). Notes about the party should go home FRIDAY or MONDAY at the latest.   I'll have a lunch schedule to you by Friday.  As of now, we do not have the Mini-Singers scheduled and I'm not sure if the loss of days will help or hinder our attempt to get them over to present to our students. 

Saxon Checklist - I only have a two classrooms left to visit to complete the mid-year Saxon checklist. After I compile the data, I will get the information to the teachers and we will have a short staff meeting to go over it.  I have enjoyed visiting everyone's math block this month.

Student Advisory Projects - Due to the loss of three days this week, we will postpone the food drive until a later date.  I will still work with the November Advisory groups to get the "Holiday Presentation" put together for next Friday.

Communication- Please, please, please...communicate with the office any changes in schedule for your classroom or grade level.  The loss of instructional time this week will throw off the Gates and Fluency assessments - TALK TO EACH OTHER (grade levels & SPED/Title) before making decisions.  At this time (Thursday AM), we do not have a sub for Mr. Maurer on Friday as Fran will be attending a funeral.  Please plan accordingly. 

Mid-Year Assessments - Gates will be completed in the classrooms for ALL students.  Fluency assessment will be completed by Christy Rea and we will only assess students below grade level, new students since fall OR students requested by the classroom teacher.  If you have students who were at grade-level in the fall but you'd like them assessed, see Christy.

4th Grade Program - Linnea will communicate the schedule for practicing next week.  The program begins at 6:00 pm Thursday night at the HS auditorium.  Teachers and students should be there no later than 5:45 pm. 

Parent Advisory – Our 2nd Parent Advisory meeting was cancelled Thursday night.  Our next meeting will be March 4, 2010. 

Qwest Grant of $50,000 - Do you or your team have brilliant ideas on how to better incorporate technology into your classrooms?? The Iowa School Boards Foundation has received $50,000 from the Qwest Foundation to award to Iowa educators proposing innovative classroom uses of technology. There's still plenty of time to submit a one-page proposal! The deadline is Jan. 25, 2010.  Click here for general information about this grant program. They encourage you to think outside the box and to come up with innovative ideas that advance student learning. 21st century skills will be critical to all students' futures. If you have questions, please contact CJ Bloyer at 1-800-795-4272, ext. 246 or e-mail her at cbloyer@ia-sb.org.

Brenda's last day will be Friday, December 18th.  She has taken a position outside the district and although we all wish she would stay with us for the long haul, I understand her decision and wish her the best!  I know each of us have appreciated her extremely professional manner and work ethic during her time at Washington Intermediate.  Remember, Brenda, you'll always be a part of the WIS Family -best of luck to you in your new job!

Dates to note...
Dec 11 – Staff Party!  Come after 5pm at the Barn Door
Dec 15 – Mr. Barry out of district all day
Dec 17 – Fourth Grade Music Program (6 pm @ HS auditorium)
Dec 18 – Classroom parties 12:20-1:10 pm; 2 hr early dismissal (Winter Break begins)
Dec 18 – End 1st semester/2nd quarter
Dec 18 – Susan Noonan's birthday!
Dec 24 – Geoff Maurer's birthday!
Dec 31 – Janelle Erickson's birthday!
Jan 4 – Begin 2nd semester/3rd quarter
Jan 5 – Grades due by 4 pm
Jan 6 – 2 hr early dismissal (PCL - Curriculum)
Jan 7 – 1st Semeser Report cards go home

December 4, 2009

Holiday Celebration is set for Friday, December 18th for both 4th and 5th grade. I will tweak the lunch and recess schedule to allow both parties to start at 12:20 pm. Did your team send appropriate communication home with students thisweek regarding the particulars for your grade level? This allows parents enough time to plan in case they need to take time off or provide any needed items.

Saxon Checklist - After today, I will only have a couple classrooms left to visit to complete the mid-year Saxon checklist.  As I have mentioned to a couple teachers, I will compile the data and share it with the entire building.  It has been very interesting and I have seen a lot of improvment in math instruction and student learning since we began using Saxon this fall. 

Student Advisory Projects - November student advisory will be putting together a PowerPoint project with me over the next two weeks.  They will share their final project with the students during lunch on Friday, December 18th.  The December student advisory will do the food drive during the last week.  More information to come.

Next Two Weeks - Please, please, please...communicate with the office any changes in schedule for your classroom or grade level over the next two weeks. With all that is going on before break, it is important to let each other know when and where things are happening. Also, please make every minute count each week - there are lots of ways to tie in the holiday season into reading and math so make sure activities (outside of the parties themselves!) are curriculum and outcome driven.

Parent Advisory – Our 2nd Parent Advisory meeting will be held on December 10, at 7:00 pm.  As always, teachers are welcome to join us. 
 
Dates to note...
Dec 6 – Melissa Schafer's birthday!
Dec 8 – Janet Duke's birthday!
Dec 9 - 2 hr early dismissal (PLC - Building)
Dec 9 - Barry at Homeland Security Training (Oakland all day)
Dec 10 - Parent Advisory (7 pm)
Dec 11 - Staff Party!
Dec 17 - Fourth Grade Music Program (6 pm @ HS auditorium)
Dec 18 - Classroom parties 12:20-1:10 pm; 2 hr early dismissal (Winter Break begins)
Dec 18 - End 1st semester/2nd quarter
Dec 18 – Susan Noonan's birthday!
Dec 24 – Geoff Maurer's birthday!
Dec 31 – Janelle Erickson's birthday!
Jan 4 - Begin 2nd semester/3rd quarter
Jan 5 - Grades due by 4 pm
Jan 6 - 2 hr early dismissal (PCL - Curriculum)
Jan 7 - 1st Semeser Report cards go home