The Cornelius Chronicle
September 11, 2015
Monday - Wear book character costume to school for our PBiS Assembly!
You can change out of it after the assembly!
PBiS Assembly Agenda - Monday, 9/14 at 9:15 - 10:15 am in the gym
Agenda
- Flag salute: Angella
- P-R-I-D-E: Cheryl (quiet chant for assemblies)
- Theme of the Year: A New Chapter for Cornelius: Alex
- Introduction: All Staff - Introduce yourself (name, position, & storybook character)
- Tickets/Store/Fun Friday: Chelsea
- PBIS chant: Cheryl (Respectful, Responsible, Safe, Do your best)
- Skits:
- Narrator: Angella (good example, bad example) ENG/SPAN; Teacher: Chelsea (with pride tickets)
- Model non-example, example
- Be Respectful: Playing with everyone nicely on the playground (no keep away):
- Janelly, Cheryl, Merry. Alondra - peacekeeper
- Be Responsible: Walking in the hall with uniforms
- (6 kids- 3, 4th and 3, 3rd)
- Be Safe: Lockdown, Lockout, Evacuation, Shelter (Principal)
- Model what to do in each scenario
- Do your Best: Quality work (kids vote, which is the best. Examples/Non example:
- Daisy and Kathy
- 2 things you learned today
- PBIS chant: Alex
- When I say Cougar, you say PRIDE
Start Dates for Important Events
Sept. 14th - SPED intervention groups/Literacy classes grades 1-4
Sept. 15th - Library
Sept. 21st - ELD for all grades and Kinder Literacy
Oct. 6th - Intervention groups / push-in support for literacy
Family Math & Literacy Nights
We will have our first of two family math & literacy nights on Oct. 6th and our second night on Feb. 11th. Both nights will be from 5:30 - 7:00 pm and we will serve food and provide childcare for kids ages 2 - 5 years old (school-age students should be participating with their families). Certified staff members are obligated to participate in 2 evening events during the school year (not including parent conferences). One was our BTSN (Back to School Night) and the other will be one of these two family math/literacy nights. Teachers-Please let me know which one you will attend. Teachers should pair up and determine what activity they want to offer families - specialists team can help you brainstorm if you need ideas. We should have a mix of math and reading activities. Teachers - Please let me know what you choose by filling in the Google sign up in link below. I need 3 classified staff members who are available to help with childcare on each night - please let me know if you are available.
This is our agenda for the Oct. 6th night:
5:30 - 6:00 pm Sign in, receive color-coded name tag, enjoy dinner, listen to quick Title 1 info
6:00 - 7:00 pm Rotate through each of the 4 stations every 15 minutes, starting with the station that matches the color of your name tag and rotating to the next session in order.
- ST Math - location TBD
- MyOn - in library
- Cafeteria - 3-4 booths: Title 1, Devices-Cheryl Plews, PBiS, ______
- Gym - 3-4 activities: Book Walk (like a cake walk but with books), __________, __________, __________
Library
We continue to have volunteers in the library getting it into ship-shape for our students! We are still looking for 2 parent volunteers per classroom to help with library check out and putting books back into the system on Tuesdays. Please let Diego (our volunteer coordinator) know if you have parents who can volunteer during your library time.
We will begin library classes on 9/15 (Tuesday). This is not official prep time, but if teachers need to make a quick copy or take care of a personal need, you can step out of the library at that time. Andrea (our library clerk) will be doing a read aloud or library lesson with your class and then doing library check out. Kinders and 1st graders can check out 1 book per week. 2nd - 4th graders can check out two books per week.
Literacy and Interventions Clarification
Literacy time (whether Spanish or English) should be grade-level content from Pearson and the classroom teacher will be teaching it (with the exception of English literacy pull-out for Kinder and 1st). Intervention time will be our differentiated instruction at each reading level and that is when you will be getting more support from our specialists (again with the exception of Kinder/1st because specialists will be teaching English literacy).
During intervention time, each teacher, including the classroom teacher will have a different level of reader in their group. We will create these groups and go over them at our first Cougar Team meetings at the end of September. You will receive an Interventions 101 training during CIT time on 9/23 from our specialists. Interventions, including below grade level remediation, at grade level instruction, and above grade level challenges, will begin Oct. 6th.
Birthday Parties
The topic of birthday parties came up on our feedback forms from our staff retreat. Several people wrote that they feel birthday parties are a challenge for the following reasons:
- Economic challenges – We have families that are struggling financially and the burden of purchasing treats for an entire classroom of 30 plus students has become a challenge. It is difficult for students that are not able to have a classroom party like their peers.
- Increased class size – with more students in our classrooms, the amount of time that is taken for parties cuts into a great deal to our teaching and learning time. We have some classes with 35 students. If 20 of them were to have a birthday party and each takes approximately 30 minutes that equals 10 full hours of teaching time.
- Nutritional focus – We are looking at how to encourage healthier eating for our students and want to encourage them to increase fruits and vegetables, and often times we find that the birthday treats are not the healthiest choice for our students.
I wasn’t going to try to change too many “unwritten rules” or traditions this year, but I’m tossing this out there as a possibility of changing that this year, if everyone is on board. I know that 4th grade is ready to move to no birthday parties. Let me know if you are also wanting to move that way and we will do it school-wide. Most of the schools in FGSD already have a policy in place for no birthday parties or are starting it this year and haven’t gotten much push-back from families. Here is a link to a parent letter that I have ready to go if we decide to do this.
Fall Assessment Schedule
Click on link for the assessment schedule. I will put hard copies in your box.
Parent Conferences
Parent Conferences aren’t until Oct. 22-23, but I know that we will want to start inviting families to conferences soon (maybe even having a sign up on our Oct. 6th Family Math & Literacy Night). I will send all certified teachers an email to vote on your preference of dates, as we try to offer at least one evening opportunity for parents, and we need to agree on these changes of working hours as a certified staff. I know most teachers like to work longer hours in the evening to have Friday off. Choices to think about, below. Voting email coming soon. Let me know if you have other ideas….there are many combinations.
- Option 1:
Tues 10/20 Teach all day; conferences 4-8 pm
Wed 10/21 Teach all day; conferences 4-8 pm
Thurs 10/22 Conferences 8 am - 4 pm
Fri 10/23 Off (comp time)
- Option 2:
Wed 10/21 Teach all day; conferences 4-8 pm
Thurs 10/22 Conferences 8 am - 8 pm
Fri 10/23 Off (comp time)
Student Store
Our student store will start the first Friday in October - with this store, you can buy items using our Pride tickets. Please give Cheryl Rice any items that you have to contribute to this school store. I’m thinking cool (but not distracting) school supplies, stickers, Cornelius school pride items (like water bottles, wrist bands, etc), Cornelius school tee shirts, etc.
Ice Cream Sales
We will be starting ice cream sales next Friday, Sept. 18th - always on the last day of the week (usually Fridays). Ice cream costs $1 and we usually earn 50 cents. We use this money to buy things that we need for the school that we can’t buy with other funds.
Recess Pick Up
Teachers - please remember to walk your class to recess and pick them at the doors to the playground after recess - on time. That lets our instructional assistants get to their next assignment on time! Thank you!
Kinders
Kinders will be starting lunch at 11:30 am for the month of September until they get used to getting in lines, picking out food, and eating in a timely manner. They will still go to recess at their regular time.
Reminders:
- On-line trainings must be completed by Oct. 1st (you will be given time to complete these during our late start on 9/9, but you can complete them whenever). An email will be sent to you from Public Works with a link to the trainings/quizzes. My recommendation is that you try to take the quiz first and watch the videos only if needed. Most are pretty much common sense and no new info from previous years. If you were to watch all of the videos, it would take you a couple of hours. If you take the quizzes only, it should take no more than 30 minutes.
- Everyone needs to re-enroll for insurance this year online by Sept. 15th!
- Submit your curriculum maps for the year to me and specialists by 9/21
Bus Duty: 2nd & 4th grade teachers, and the “regulars”!
Calendar:
9/14 1st day of literacy for grades 1-4
9/14 8:15 am PBiS Team Dress Rehearsal
9/14 9:15 -10:15 PBiS Assembly - in the gym - remember to dress as a book character!
9/15 Cheryl Rice’s Birthday!
9/15 1st day of library
9/15 8:00 am Referral Team Meeting
9/15 10:00 am Fire Drill
9/15 Insurance must be selected to be enrolled this year!
9/16 8:00 am CIT - ELD Training for all certified staff (in the TRC)
9/18 7:30-3:30 ELD Training (Kathy, Chelsea, Daisy, Merry, Maroha, Melissa)
Looking ahead:
9/21 1st day of ELD & Kinder Literacy
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